


Risks Worth Taking

by thedeadsea33



Series: flightless bird [1]
Category: The Vampire Diaries - L. J. Smith, Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-04
Updated: 2014-01-04
Packaged: 2018-01-07 09:50:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1118471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedeadsea33/pseuds/thedeadsea33
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was a risk worth waiting for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

After Caroline hears about Klaus and the were-slut, she books a plane ticket. It's cowardly, and so pre-vampire Caroline that she almost wants to scream, but she just has to get out.

Damon comes to see her while she's frantically packing her entire closet into the biggest suitcase she can find. He sits on her bed, observing her with a quiet indifference that tells her Stefan was the one who convinced him to come try and stop her.

Caroline can't help but remember the last time he was in her room, back when she had been a weak, dependent human. She shudders and increases her packing speed.

"Come on, Blondie. You can't just leave. What about graduation? College? Elena?" Damon said, lounging against her pillows.

"None of that matters anymore. I need to get out of here."

"You'll regret it."

She stiffened, holding her favorite pair of jeans in one hand and the entire contents of her t-shirt drawer in the other.

"Just try and make me stay, Damon. Give it your best shot. Try and convince me that it's best for me to stay here and be constantly beaten down and disappointed. Tyler is gone. My best friend is practically inhumane, and my other best friend is planning the mass murder of 12 people. I'm done with this town. There's nothing left for me here anymore."

Damon looked at her, and she knew that somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, he was remembering her as the girl he had met three years ago.

He got up and slowly walked to where she stood. He looked into her eyes, and Caroline knew that he was either going to snap her neck or stab her in the back with a syringe filled with vervain.

"That's your problem, Blondie. You think it's that easy. To just leave your home, to leave behind the people who helped shape you into who you are. Yeah, you'll leave for a few years. Maybe even a decade or two. But after a while, you're going to want to come home. And if you leave now, by the time you feel that way, there won't be a home to come back too."

It was then that Caroline realized that Mystic Falls was not just her home, but Damon's as well. Hell, even Klaus had been born here. And they all came back, just a little too late to be saved.

She looked him straight in the eye and said, with as much indifference and courage as she could muster, "That's a risk I'm willing to take."

Damon just sighed, and dropped his gaze. He surveyed her room, then looked back at her.

"Good luck, Caroline. I don't know what you're doing. I don't even get why you're leaving. But if there's anyone who deserves to get out of this shit hole, it's you."

He walks out after that. Damon never was one for unnecessary goodbyes or emotions. It was all superfluous to him.

But as she's frantically looking around her room trying to find the stuffed bear her dad got her for her tenth birthday, Caroline realizes that's probably the nicest thing Damon Salvatore has ever said to her.

***

Before Caroline can finish the Mystic Falls chapter of her infinite life, there was one more thing she had to do.

She knew it wouldn't be easy, most likely the hardest thing she ever had to do. But it had to be done.

And when she walked into the Mystic Grill and locked eyes with Matt, he knows too.

They go into the alley behind the Grill, a place where she used to meet him after his shifts were over during those few, blissful months they were together. She hopes he remembers that too.

She also hopes he won't hate her forever for what she's about to do.

"What are you doing, Care?" Matt asks, in that sweet, bewildered way only he can pull off. She's been staring at the same chip in the brick wall for almost a full minute. She shakes herself, and squares her shoulders.

Caroline knows that he hasn't ingested vervain in almost a full week. What was the point anymore? If a vampire truly wanted to get information from you, they would just threaten your loved ones or torture you until they got what they wanted.

It was ironic how the one thing that could weaken a vampire could also be used against their prey.

Caroline looks deep into the blue eyes of her first true love, and tries to save him like no one ever tried to save her.

"Matt… I want you to forget everything about this town. You were born in Denver. You're a high school quarter back, whose life has been pretty good for the past 18 years. Your name is Alex Young, and you're going to be attending college in the fall. You're so excited, but also a little scared. It's your first time ever being away from home."

She stops to take a breath and collect her thoughts. Or maybe to swallow the sudden lump in her throat.

"You've never heard of Mystic Falls. I want you to go home and pack all of your things, and get as far away from here as possible. You're to take a road trip across the United States, as a graduation present from your parents. I never want you to come within 50 miles of this place ever again. No matter who tries to stop you before you leave, I want you to run like hell, and get our of here. And most of all, I want you to forget this conversation, and the love you once held for this town and the people in it."

A few seconds later, the one time love of Caroline Forbes blinks and shook his head, as if trying to remember something very important.

A slow smile spreads over his face as he walks down the sidewalk, heading home to get ready for his road trip. He was due to leave in a few hours, after all.

"Hey Matt," a voice yells. He looks startled as a young boy approaches him, and glances around trying to find this Matt.

"Sorry man, I think you've got the wrong guy," he says to the boy. "My name is Alex. I'll catch you later though."

Alex walked away, already forgetting about the incident. He's too excited, looking forward to the changes that are about to take place in his life.

Man, he thought to himself, as he walked, this is gonna be the best year of my life.

***

Caroline is at the airport waiting for her flight to board when she sees him.

She's always gotten to the airport obscenely early, a habit ingrained upon her from her mother, whose worst fear was missing a flight. So that's why she's sitting in gate 87B, 2 hours early with only last months Vogue and her iPhone for company.

After playing all the new levels in Angry Birds and thumbing through the magazine a few times, she's sufficiently bored. She's just toying around with getting a quick bite to eat when she feels it.

Something in the air shifts imperceptibly, but to Caroline, it feels as if her entire axis of being has been thrown off kilter.

She stiffens in her seat, and furtively begins scanning the surrounding area. He couldn't possibly be here, right? Sure, she hadn't exactly kept her departure a secret, but she assumed he would be too busy with that were-slut to hear that she was leaving.

He's in the airport bar. It's not a surprise; Klaus has always struck her as a day drinker.

When they lock eyes, he makes his intentions perfectly clear. She can see by the way he throws back his bourbon, and by the way his jaw sets when he glances up to find her looking at him. He knows he screwed up.

Caroline stays seated, even after he beckons her with two fingers. She reminded herself about the future, and of all the beautiful things she has yet to see.

Because if Caroline is being honest with herself, she knows that if she goes and talks to him, she would abandon all of those dreams just to follow him.

Klaus sighs when he realizes Caroline isn't going to come to him. He throws down a few bills on the bar, and makes his way over to her.

She doesn't even look at him when he sits down. That's okay.

He's not sure if he wants to look into her eyes and see how much he truly hurt her.

"You compelled Matt." He states, staring straight ahead.

"I did."

"Why?"

Caroline sighed, deflating a bit. The little fight that had remained within her was gone, leaving behind a twinge of regret and the strong urge to rip out someone's jugular.

"He deserves more than that town," She says. "He was always better than the rest of us. I didn't want him to continue to be caught up in the problems of vampires and werewolves. I want him to have the chance at a happy life."

Klaus doesn't say anything to that, just shakes his head in amazement. This girl was always going to be too good for him, he knew that. He just hadn't realized the level of love she had for her old life.

"Caroline…" He said, finally turning his head to look at her. He knew nothing he could say would make up for the hurt he had inflicted upon her. But he wanted to try and make her see that he felt some amount of remorse.

"Don't, Klaus."

"But love, I have too-"

"Don't, Klaus." she stated more clearly, through her teeth. She's sure if she had been human, she would have broken her jaw with the force she grit her teeth. "I don't have it in me too hear your excuses."

She's not looking at him. But through the corner of her eye, she can see him let out a defeated breath.

"I don't have any excuses, Caroline. What happened with Hayley... I don't feel bad about it."

Caroline finally looks at him, shock evident in her eyes.

"Excuse me?" she practically snarled.

"I have no reason too. It was the scratching of an itch, purely primal instinct. I feel nothing for her, nor will I ever."

She's still glaring at him, with the most hate she can muster.

"It's always been you, Caroline. It will always be you, even when girls are at my disposal and completely willing. No matter who I fuck or show compassion too, no one will ever compare to you. You're my light, Caroline."

She's still silent. Klaus sighs, and finally says what he came to say.

"I'm always going to be there for you. I'll always be waiting for you. You go do what you have to do, and come back to me when you're ready. Be it a year, or a century, I won't forget."

Klaus gets up to leave, having said his piece. He shoots her a lingering look, then turns to leave. He's walking away when he hears the last words he will hear her utter for a long time.

"You're going to be waiting for a long time then."

He turns to face her, dimples and cocky smirk in place.

"Well love, that's a risk I'm willing to take."

***

It's only when she's boarding her flight to Barcelona an hour later that she realizes he quoted her conversation with Damon back to her.

She forces him from her mind, and tries to think things not involving Klaus, Mystic Falls, vampirism, or the life she left behind.

After all, there's a whole world out there for her to explore now.


	2. Chapter 2

The second Caroline's plane touched down in Barcelona, she knew she was home.

Spain had always called to her. In World History Sophomore year, she stared at the thumb-print sized country on her teacher's globe and longed for the beaches, sun, and history it had to offer.

Before everything with Tyler went to shit, and when they thought they had to run away together, they considered Spain.

" _Spain?" Tyler said, disdainfully. "Why would we go there?"_

" _I don't know," Caroline answered, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulder. "I just thought it would be best if we got as far away as possible."_

" _Yeah but Care, there's far away, and then there's_ _ **far away.**_ _Don't you think we should stick with the United States, just in case something happens? You know, so we can be easier to reach?"_

" _Of course. You're right."_

And that was that. She hadn't given Spain another thought, but a part of her dream had been crushed. Caroline knew from that moment on that if she ever wanted to see Spain, she would have to see it alone.

And she was perfectly content with that.

***

Caroline had just checked into a suite at the fanciest, most extravagant resort she could find when it truly hit her.

" _What am I doing?"_ She thought. " _This isn't me. I shouldn't be here."_

What about her mother? Her friends? Damon was right. She never should have left.

She had just stood up, with every intention of packing the few things she had unpacked, catching the next flight to Virginia, and forgetting this ever happened when something in her carry-on caught her eye.

Caroline frowned. When she packed, she had barely grabbed any luxury items. Her collection of Glamour and Seventeen magazines were left stacked in her room, along with make-up, perfume, and the pictures of her old life. She hadn't actually even _needed_ a carry on, but felt that bringing one would foster a sense of normalcy she so desperately craved.

So that's why she was so confused when she saw an envelope poking out of one of the outside pockets.

She picked it up gingerly, sure it was there left over from previous trip.

However, one look at the elegant script marring the creamy texture of the clearly expensive envelope proved it wasn't.

_Caroline._

Funny how that one written word could make her breath catch and mind go numb. She opened it with shaking hands, unsure of what she would find in the contents. Inside was a letter. Dropping the envelope for now, she sank onto the bed and started to read.

_Caroline,_

_By now you're probably somewhere warm. I hope you're smart enough to get out of the United States; there's so much of the world you have yet to see._

_I hope you don't think too badly of me after recent events transpired. I will always love you and only you. Please remember that._

_Anyway, my point for writing this is to assure you that I don't blame you for leaving. I know this doesn't mean much to you right now, but I hope one day this assurance will influence your decision to come back to me._

_I've left you with a debit card, something I want you to use during your travels. I will not use this as means to try and seek you out, I just want to know you're taken care of. Please don't hesitate to use it and spend some of the wealth I've accumulated over the centuries. I thought that was the point of vengeance anyway?_

_We both knew you were never going to stay with me. You're not ready. But I hope more than anything one day you'll change your mind and seek me out. You'll always be able to find me, I can promise you that._

_Be safe._

_Much love,_

_Klaus_

Caroline set down the letter with disgust. Who did he think she was? She wasn't going to accept his pity gifts. She didn't need his money, his words, or his assurance. She was perfectly capable all on her own.

She could take care of herself, and now she was determined to prove it.

***

After Caroline had settled into her new hotel room, she carelessly tossed the debit card into the piles of clothes in her suitcase. Out of sight, out of mind.

She decides to hit the beach, attempting to forget about the last 48 hours of her life.

Once Caroline changes into her skimpy bikini and makes her way down to the crashing waves, she realizes the ache in her head and gums was not just jet lag.

_Blood._

She smelled it all around her, from the bored looking man serving drinks at the hotel bar, to the happy couple laughing and watching the waves kiss the shore.

" _Oh God,"_ she thought. " _I'm gonna lose it."_

Her fangs had very nearly dropped when a tall, brunette boy caught her by the arm.

"Hey," he said, a kind smile on his face. "Are you okay. You look kinda freaked."

"Oh…yeah," Caroline says, fighting the urge to rip out his jugular. "I'm just tired. Long plane ride you know."

"Well I could show you around… If you wanted." The stranger said coyly, clearly checking her out.

"No, I think I should be fine."

"Well, if you're sure." The boy had just started to walk away, a disappointed look on his face when the intoxicating smell became too much for her.

"Wait!" she yelled, stopping him in his tracks. He looked around, surprised. Caroline just put on her best sultry smile, the one that had always worked for the boys back home. "I think I do need some help. Could you come up to my room for a minute?"

His triumphant grin was too much for her to look at. So she looked away.

***

His name was Alex Carpenter. No, he wasn't a native. Just on a trip with his family. His sisters were driving him nuts, so he had tried to con his way into a drink at the bar when a stunning blonde had caught his attention in the lobby.

He had told her this right before she ripped out his throat.

Caroline couldn't help but think of another Alex, the one that she had helped save not 24 hours ago.

This man, a boy really, had done nothing to harm her, yet it was her first, primal instinct to feast one his blood.

This was the monster she was becoming, someone perfectly content with picking up random strangers and killing them before thinking twice about the repercussions or consequences.

She had not been away from home for two days, and Caroline already could not recognize the person she was becoming.

***

Caroline left Barcelona three hours later. She had contemplated burning the body, even throwing it from the balcony to make it look like suicide. But it had all been too much for her.

In the end, she just left him there. She tried arranging him in the bed to make it look like he was just sleeping, but it reminded her too much of something Ripper Stefan would do. She shuddered, and let the boys lifeless body slump to the floor.

She hadn't used her real name when she checked in, and could most likely compel anyone who suspected her.

Caroline chuckled bitterly, thinking about how easy it would be for her to outrun the consequences.

But she could never outrun her guilt.

***

So Barcelona turned out to be a bust.

Madrid, however… Madrid was perfection.

And so was Vienna in Austria, Athens in Greece, and Ankara in Turkey.

It had been 5 years since her… Slip up in Spain. But she had gotten better. When the situation allowed it, she drank from blood bags she pilfered from hospitals and blood drives.

But occasionally, she slipped up. There was a body in Moscow, and two more in Rio. Even though she carried the guilt of the life lost with her always, it no longer haunted her.

Caroline hid from the repercussions of her actions by running, but paid tribute to her victims in a way that Klaus would be proud of.

By some strange twist of fate, all of the people she had killed had been married women. So she kept their wedding rings.

She wore them on her left hand, carrying the weight of her monstrous actions with her everywhere.

***

Caroline would be lying if she said she didn't think of him in moments like this. Staring up at the Eiffel Tower, she sighed. These were the moments that would be nice to share with somebody.

The majesty, the beauty… Nothing she had ever seen could compare to the Eiffel Tower. She had been living in Paris for almost four months, but had never found the time to truly explore the city. Now that she had, however…

Caroline now understood why Paris was the City of Love.

"Caroline." She heard him before she saw him. She had been standing in the same position for almost a full two minutes, mouth wide, gazing up at the elaborate architecture. He had caught her unawares, and she cursed herself for being distracted by a hunk of metal.

She turned slowly, sure there was some mistake. But as her eyes raked over the unmistakable figure, she knew it wasn't.

"Elijah."

***

Almost twenty minutes later, the two were seated in an outdoor cafe, both stiff and awkward. After the usual pleasantries about the weather and beauty of the city, the pair had run out of things to talk about.

"I must confess, Caroline," Elijah said, thumbing through the menu. "The city suits you. I've never seen you look so radiant."

Caroline was taken aback. She had barely ever talked to Elijah. Elena was always in charge of him.

"Well, thank you Elijah. I'm in love with the city. It's my favorite one I've been to so far."

"My brother will be pleased too hear it. Paris always held a special place in his heart." Elijah stated offhandedly, looking at the wine list.

Caroline stiffened. He seemed to sense her discomfort.

"I'm sorry," He said, looking at her rigid form. "It wasn't my intention too make you uncomfortable."

"It's okay…" Caroline said. She sighed. Usually, she did a very good job at distracting herself. She didn't think about Klaus unless she wanted too.

"However," Elijah continued. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't seeking you out for an ulterior motive."

"I assumed there was one."

"He misses you, Caroline."

She locked eyes with the Original reproachfully. Just like his brother, he assumed a few sweet words and ultimatums would be enough to make her crawl back to him.

Not likely.

"And I suppose he sent you here to tell me that?"

"Not exactly…" Elijah muttered, dropping her gaze. He started fiddling with his menu, and Caroline gaped. Originals didn't _fiddle._

"What aren't you telling me, Elijah?"

He had just opened his mouth to answer her when he was cut off by the waitress. She set a pastry she did not recall ordering in front of Caroline. If Elijah thought she would be distracted by the sudden onslaught of sugar, he was wrong. She raised her eyebrows at the Original, silently telling him to continue.

"He doesn't exactly know I'm here. Klaus has always been very… for lack of a better word, _shady_ with the details of your departure. All I knew was that he thought it was for your best interest to be gone,"

"That is _bullshit."_ Caroline snarled. How dare he?! It had been her idea to leave, him who drove her away. He could not pass off his mistake as an attempt for him to protect her.

"Yes," Elijah said mildly. "That's what I thought too. But, that's not why I'm here."

She waited for him to go on. Elijah sighed unexpectedly, deflated. He understood why his brother was so fixated on this baby vampire. She had a spark in her that was refreshing after so many years of seeing self-loathing and hate become the vampire norm.

"I'm here to implore you to come back with me."

"No." Caroline said without missing a beat. She bit into her pastry, a sense of finality in the action that could not have been accomplished with someone less headstrong than she.

" _Well,"_ Elijah thought, " _It seems as though my brother has met his match."_

"Not today," Elijah said out loud. "I just want your word."

"My word?"

"That you'll return one day. That you will come back to my brother."

"Come back?" Caroline said. "I was never his in the first place. Even before I left."

"Excuse the term," Elijah sighed, rolling his eyes. Dealing with this girl reminded him of dealing with Klaus. They were extraordinarily alike. "But I must insist, Caroline. He is rather… despondent without you. Unhappy."

It was Caroline's turn to sigh. She turned her head, staring up at the Eiffel Tower. She wondered if Klaus had ever been in her position, if on his first trip here, he gazed up at the structure in wonderment.

She found herself hoping he had.

"I can't, Elijah. You have to understand. It's a form of self-preservation."

Elijah nodded, the formality he had lost while talking about his younger brother quickly returning.

"I suppose I understand. If you ever _do_ choose to seek him out, you know where to find him. But Caroline… Contrary to what he may say, my brother is not a patient man. He will not wait forever."

And with that haunting statement, he was gone.

Caroline sat, stunned. Of course she knew where to find him, he was _Klaus._ Where he lacked originality, he made up for in class. He would be where ever the party was.

Over the past six years, Caroline had learned how to take care of herself. She evolved into a solitary figure, choosing to do things for herself instead of relying on others. The debit card he gave her at the beginning of her travels still laid unused in her Gucci wallet.

Caroline Forbes was self-sufficient and perfectly happy that way.

Right?

***

As she sat contemplating this heavy thought, the young vampire failed to notice a pair of curious eyes on her from a safe distance away.

The man grinned wolfishly and took out his phone.

"I got her. The vamp she was with just left. It looks like she'll be alone for the rest of the night."

"Good," said a voice on the other end. "Attack tonight. And I mean _only_ attack, Andrew. Capture her using any means necessary, but leave the real fun to me. This girl is mine."

Then the line went dead.


	3. Chapter 3

Caroline's hotel room in Paris was exactly the same as those in other cities. Luxurious, 5-star, but completely devoid of any real appeal other than the basic aesthetics.

Recently, she had been feeling a bit restless. Traveling had been fun for the past six years, but after a while it got tiresome. She felt as though she was running from something rather than to a goal, just meandering around for a while until she got bored and decided to leave again.

Truth be told, she missed her mom. She missed going to the Grill after school every day and pining over Matt, back when catching his love had been the biggest of her problems.

Caroline missed being human.

She didn't completely loathe being a vampire; there were times when it was useful. But, ever since that first kill in Barcelona, she had slowly drifted into the abyss of infinite time. She refused to believe there would come a time when every single important human memory she held would become faded, so she desperately clung to the last shred of humanity she had left.

No matter what, Caroline always had faith in the human capacity to love and be loved. And she honestly believed that as a vampire, this ability would not be changed.

Caroline would always believe in love, no matter who thought her foolish for doing so.

***

The night was warm with a slight breeze, the ideal Parisian weather. Even though her run in with Elijah had disheartened her for a few hours, Caroline refused to let his words affect her.

So that's why she found herself once again in front of the Eiffel Tower, thinking about the Original family and her old life in Mystic Falls. She never was very good at avoidance.

If Klaus truly did miss her like Elijah said he did, then why didn't he try to contact her himself? Not once over the past 6 years had he even tried to check up on her. Granted, she preferred it that way, it just didn't make much sense with what Elijah said.

Caroline truly believed Elijah when he said Klaus wouldn't wait forever. The hybrid was over one thousand years old, and patience was not a virtue he had acquired over his extensive life. One day, he would get sick of waiting around for her to "come back to him," and he would leave. Simple as that. He would make himself unknown to her, and never think of the baby vampire again.

Caroline had spent the past 6 years believing that's what she wanted, so why did the mere thought of him forgetting about her leave a gaping hole in her stomach?

Shaking her head, the baby vampire stood from the bench she had sat on nearly an hour ago. Under normal circumstances, she surely would have noticed that the surrounding area was completely deserted; a rarity for Paris.

She definitely would have noticed the eerie silence, or the fact that the only light source was coming from the historic landmark itself.

However, tonight, she was distracted by a man thousands of miles away.

Caroline had only taken a few steps when she visibly stiffened. She thought she had heard footsteps behind her, and did a quick scan of her surroundings.

Finally noticing the strangeness of the area, she quickly started running away. Almost immediately, someone rushed her. She felt the tip of a needle penetrate her forearm, and new the biting sting of vervain was not far behind.

Caroline threw her attacker off before he could poison her blood, pinning him to the ground. She let her fangs drop and her vampire senses take over.

"Who are you?" she growled ferociously, baring her fangs at the terrified looking man underneath her. He looked young; barely 22. She would have felt bad if it weren't for the fact he had just almost killed her.

"I'm not your main problem right now, sweetheart."

Caroline felt the stab of another needle in her back, the effects of the vervain immediate this time. She dropped to the ground, looking up at the face of her attacker before everything went black.

"Good work, Andrew. He should be pleased with this." The man who had vervained her the second time looked distastefully down at the baby vampire. Who knew such a pretty face could cause such destruction and chaos? "Take her back to the house and wait for instruction."

The man dragged her off, leaving only the Eiffel Tower twinkling on in the night.

***

When Caroline woke up, the first thing she registered was the burning sensation in her wrists and ankles. The second was the fact that she wasn't alone. Since the restraints she felt looped around her arms and legs seemed to be the bigger source of discomfort, she decided to take care of those first.

After pulling for a few moments, she realized the burning only got worse. Caroline groaned in frustration, looking down at her ankles to discover ropes which tied her to a chair. The whole set-up was not unlike that which her father had used when he tried to 'fix' her, and she wondered briefly if her kidnapper knew this.

As she was desperately pulling on her restraints, Caroline heard a faint chuckle.

"You're not going to have much luck with that," a voice said. She recognized it vaguely, but couldn't place where she knew it from. "I soaked them in vervain. From what I understand, that's a vampire's only weakness. So I made sure to stock up on plenty of it."

Caroline remained silent. Until she figured out who this man was, there was no way she was talking. If he wanted information, he would have to torture it out of her.

After a beat, the man continued talking. "I'm assuming you don't remember me."

If she were in any other position, Caroline would have scoffed. She had traveled all around the world, there was virtually no chance of her remembering anyone she met.

"My name is Derek Springs. You murdered my wife. In fact, that's her wedding ring you're wearing."

***

Klaus was livid. Who did Elijah think he was?! Did he just assume he could approach Caroline without consequence? Although Elijah was not aware of it, Klaus had had people tailing Caroline for the past six years. They were never noticeable or detectable, but they were there. Keeping watch on the precious baby vampire.

He would never allow her to get hurt, and would do anything to protect her. But now Elijah was in the midst of ruining that.

For almost the fifteenth time that day, Klaus dialed his brothers number. He hadn't answered any of his calls, probably knowing that Klaus would be murderous. But this time, Elijah answered.

"Niklaus…" Elijah said, almost timidly. Fear immediately flooded Klaus over his brother's tone. At least, he assumed it was fear. He hadn't felt that emotion since Mikael threatened his and his families lives.

"What did you do, Elijah?" Klaus growled, almost crushing his phone.

"I did nothing. But I fear something may have happened to Caroline. I've been in Paris for two days looking for her. I've checked her hotel room, all of her belongings appear untouched. But she's gone."

Klaus was immediately hyperaware of his surroundings. He was in Italy, in a small villa outside of Florence. He could hear the family outside, the cars on the road. A child laughed, and he was all of a sudden filled with the desire to rip out someone's throat.

It couldn't be true. If Caroline were gone, his hybrids would have informed him. They were under explicit instruction to notify him every time she moved. However, upon quick examination of his previously ignored text messages, Klaus realized that they had informed her of her disappearance hours ago. He did not bother to read the other three messages they sent him, he would deal with those later.

"Niklaus? Brother, are you still there?" Elijah said impatiently on the other line. Klaus realized he had been silent for almost a full minute.

"Don't move. I'll be in Paris by tonight."

***

Caroline blinked. If this man was who he said he was, this was a very bad situation for her.

Of course she remembered his wife. Her name was Ashley, and her blood type was O-. Caroline had cornered her in Rio, during a particularly bad month. After her, Caroline had left Brazil and tried to kick the human habit. She had been successful, and hadn't killed a human in almost a year.

The man smiled, enjoying her obvious discomfort. "I'm assuming based on your silence that you do remember her."

Caroline still made no reply. She was scared, but also confident that a human would not be capable of killing her. The man seemed to sense what she was thinking.

"I'm sure you didn't know this when you slaughtered my wife… But there was a reason I wasn't with her that night. Any guesses?"

Caroline narrowed her eyes. If the man was trying to teach her a lesson, this was not the way to do it. It was obvious she wasn't afraid of him, and if he was going to torture her, he would have gotten on with it by now. It seemed as though the man really wanted to terrify her. But what could terrify a vampire?

With a pit growing in her stomach, Caroline tried to think back to that night in Rio. She had taken his wife behind a crowded night club, and fed on her in the cover of night. But it was bright, she remembered the glow of the moon on the woman's neck.

Caroline gasped. The man's smile grew even larger.

"Werewolf," she barely managed to gasp out.

"That's right. And tonight is a full moon. Usually, I would be with my pack. But I think I'd prefer to stay here with you. Only about 45 more minutes to go before I start the transition. This should be fun, shouldn't it?"

***

The second Klaus' private jet touched down in Paris, he was off of it. There was no time to waste. If the person who took Caroline was who he thought, then he needed to hurry before serious damage could be inflicted.

Klaus met Elijah in front of a hotel. It looked like the type of place Caroline would stay, tasteful, but still lavish enough to satisfy her need for elegance. His heart ached just thinking about the baby vampire, but he pushed it aside for now. There would be plenty of time for that later.

"Niklaus," Elijah said, relieved to see his brother. "You got here quickly."

"Well, you didn't leave me much choice."

Elijah paused for a moment. Of course, it was unfair of his brother to be angry at him, but he tried to understand for the sake of finding Caroline.

"I believe someone took her. I have informants who told me they witnessed people lurking around this hotel and the Eiffel Tower, where she has spent most of her time in the past few days."

"I know all of this already. I just need to know where they took her."

Elijah looked at Klaus, confused. He had just compelled this information out of two harmless hotel patrons. So how could Klaus know?

"I don't have time to explain, Elijah! Just tell me where!"

"I've had two vampires attempt to trace her scent. It looks like she was dragged from the Eiffel Tower, and taken somewhere far east. I'm not sure where she could be from there."

Klaus groaned. Not out of frustration, but out of having his worst fears realized.

"Niklaus, I understand you need to find her, but will you take a moment to explain what is going on?"

Klaus looked at his brother, hardly aware of his existence any more. He was out for blood. But telling Elijah now would save time later, so he opted for the short version.

"I've had people following Caroline for six years. She's hardly made a move without my knowledge. I haven't interfered, I just want to make sure she's safe. While she was in Rio about a year ago, she killed a woman. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, but something seemed wrong about the family. So I dug a little deeper, used a few connections. I found out something about the husband."

"What could be a threat in Rio? The vampires are complacent in Brazil." Elijah interrupted.

"She didn't kill a vampire. She killed the wife of a werewolf. I would have killed him myself, but the pack is large, and I feared the assassination of the pack leader would cause an uproar. I decided to keep tabs on him, but he must have flown under the radar. He owns property in France, and I'm assuming that's where he took Caroline."

The two brothers stared at each other for a moment, letting the enormity of the situation sink in.

"Niklaus," Elijah said slowly. "It's a full moon tonight."

Klaus stood there long enough for Elijah to see his eyes widen, then he was gone.

***

Thirty minutes later, Caroline was still being held captive. She hadn't spoken since the man revealed his true identity, and she wasn't planning too. She didn't want to beg for her life.

"You're awfully quiet for someone who's about to lose their life." the man said. Caroline only glared.

"You know, you're an interesting creature. I've done background checks on you, just to see who you really were, where you came from, etcetera. I've found some pretty shocking stuff."

Caroline sat still, not giving any reply.

"I was planning on going after a boyfriend or husband, but it seems your relationships have been rather… unsuccessful." the man continued. "First a barhand, then a werewolf. But it's the last one that I would really like to focus on."

Caroline snarled, realizing where this was going. She'd be damned if her last conversation was about Klaus.

"Ah, I see I've touched a nerve. The Original hybrid didn't live up to your expectations? That's unsurprising. I've heard he's a rather disappointing person. After you get past the bravado and false fronts, he's just… a man. A man apparently in love with _you,_ of all people, but still just a man."

"I don't want to talk about Klaus." Caroline finally replied, sending the man an icy glare. The vervain was starting to go to her head, numbing her hands and feet, making her head foggy.

"Don't think I haven't noticed his hybrids following me," he went on, ignoring her. "They were rather conspicuous. I've been long around long enough to know when I'm being followed."

Caroline remained silent yet again, but this time out of surprise. The man seemed to notice the stunned expression on her face, and smiled widely.

"You didn't know?! Oh, that's rich. Yes, he's had people on my tail since last year. No pun intended. From what I could tell, he had people following you too. But my men took care of them."

She was shocked. Caroline had never noticed anyone following her, and suddenly felt a wave of fury. Even when she wanted to escape him, he wouldn't allow her to leave.

"It makes sense why he loves you," the man continued, starting to pant. Caroline was immediately reminded of Tyler before he transformed. "Monsters tend to love monsters."

He grinned wolfishly at her once more, and proceeded to start the transition from man to werewolf.

***

Klaus had never run so fast. He felt as though he was flying, though he knew it was impossible.

He didn't know much about werewolf transitions, having only done it once or twice. However, he did know that the transition of an old werewolf would only take five minutes, tops.

The moon had just reached his apex. He had to hurry, or the woman he loved would be gone forever.

***

Caroline watched the scene unfold before her, terrified. She did not remember it being this fast when Tyler transitioned. She remembered long, searing hours she would have to hear him scream.

The man in front of her no longer even resembled a man, but a wolf with distinctive human features. It had only been three minutes.

She struggled harder than ever to free herself from the restraints, knowing deep in her heart that it was useless.

All of a sudden, it was silent. The whimpering and groans had subsided, and she lifted her eyes just in time to lock eyes with a fully grown, hell-bent wolf.

Caroline screamed. The wolf lunged.

***

Klaus had just stopped running when he heard a scream that sounded distinctively feminine. He didn't even have time to think before his feet responded, running to his left. He knew it was Caroline, and the scream sounded like one of agony.

Klaus could literally feel his heart sink.

He approached a small house, and killed the two guards at the door on the spot. He could hear signs of a scuffle inside, and burst into the door without thinking.

***

All Caroline could feel was pain. By this time, the wolf had bitten her at least three times. She could feel him sink his teeth into her left side, and she screamed again.

She heard the wolf yelp, and turned her head with all the energy she had left. She witnessed another wolf jump on the one that had been previously attacking her, and she saw him start to rip it to pieces.

Caroline could barely keep her eyes open. It felt as though the bites were already taking their effect, as the edges of her vision were blurring into each other.

Caroline vaguely felt soothing hands on her bites before sinking into the blackness completely.

***

When Klaus saw what was happening in the small room of the cottage, he hadn't even thought about it before letting his inner wolf take over.

He tore the man to bits, being rougher than was really necessary Before he knew it, the other wolf was little more than a mangled mass of limbs and fur, sufficiently dead.

Klaus transformed back into a human, and ignoring his nakedness for now, went to Caroline. He quickly surveyed her bites, and bit his own forearm.

He forced an unconscious Caroline to drink his blood, listening to her heartbeat get stronger and stronger. She was not conscious yet, but she probably would not be for nearly three hours. That was plenty of time for Klaus to do what he needed.

Leaving her on the floor for a few moments, Klaus took the clothes the man had intended for himself after his transition. He didn't even bother to clean up the remaining body, leaving it for nature to dispose of. Klaus scooped up Caroline, and ran out of the cottage as fast as he could.

***

They ended up back at her hotel. After compelling the manager out of a hotel key, Klaus was able to run to her room.

He barely surveyed the living room or bedroom before taking her straight into the bathroom. Caroline remained unconscious, and Klaus found himself needing to remind himself that she was not dead.

Klaus scrubbed off all the remnants of blood from her skin, peeling off layers of clothes. He bunched them up in the waste basket, reminding himself to burn them later.

After this, Klaus deposited Caroline in her bed, dressing her in pajamas. He would not let her awake in unfamiliar surroundings after all she went through,

Only after he was satisfied that she was comfortable did he take out his phone. Klaus dialed an old, familiar number, and silently hoped it was still in service.

"Hello?" a groggy voice said on the other end.

"Hello, mate." Klaus replied.

"Oh god… Not you again."

"Remember that favor I did for you all those years ago? I need your services."

Klaus heard the man on the other end pause, weighing their options. "What do I have to do?"

He smiled, pleased the vampire was being complacent. "I need you to come watch after someone for me. It's… important."

"And who would this important person be? Another one of your hybrid experiments?"

"No. Caroline Forbes."

The person paused, stunned. Klaus could hear him shuffling about, probably getting dressed.

"I'll do it." he said after a beat. "Where?"

"Paris. You'll find her. Hurry."

Klaus hung up the phone, all of his affairs in order. He turned back around to see Caroline peacefully lying in bed, appearing normal and unhurt. Her bites had healed, but she still seemed pale.

He walked slowly to the edge of the bed, observing her closely. He had waited to see her for six years, and these were not the circumstances he had imagined reuniting them.

Klaus sighed, studying her peaceful expression. One day, she would come back to him. One day, she would seek him out. One day, he could give her the world.

But today was not that day.

He glanced at her once more from the doorway, but then he was gone.

***

Two hours later, Caroline sat up with a muffled scream. She had dreamt that she had been attacked by a werewolf.

Her head felt cloudy as she slowly registered it wasn't a dream. The man had truly wanted to kill her, and had bitten her multiple times. Her eyes filled with tears at the onslaught of emotion.

However, her tears quickly faded when she realized she was lying in her own bed. What had happened? Why wasn't she dead?

There was only one answer. _Klaus._ He had come to save her once more. That was the only explanation. There was no other way she could have survived. He must have fed her his blood.

Caroline was so caught up in her thoughts that she barely heard the water running in her bathroom. She was up in a flash, standing outside the bathroom door.

She didn't smell anything familiar, so that meant the intruder was taking a shower. Without another thought, she barged in and ripped the shower curtain aside.

When Caroline saw who was standing in her shower, she could barely swallow her scream.

" _Damon?"_ she gasped out, her hand falling from the shower curtain.

"Hey Blondie," Damon replied, turning off the water and grabbing a towel. "Long time no see."


	4. Chapter 4

Caroline used to think she was pretty accepting of change. Back in Mystic Falls her entire world had been flipped upside down, and she took it with a blink of her eyes and a shrug of her shoulders. Okay, so it hadn't been that easy. But at least she had never been like Elena and turned off all her emotions. She was never that far gone.

But right now with Damon standing in her shower like he belonged there, her brush with death, and the amount of uncertainty she felt towards the Original Hybrid, she felt as though she had a free pass too freak out as much as she wanted.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here, Damon?" Caroline practically growled, clutching the shower curtain for balance.

"Oh you know, I was around. In the neighborhood. Thought I'd stop by and say hey, but you were passed out in your bed when I got up here. Rough night, Blondie?" Damon stepped out of the shower, brushing past a stunned Caroline.

Didn't he know what had happened? It was too much of a coincidence, him being here after Klaus had saved her life for the third time. But if he wasn't going to bring it up, then neither was she.

"I… I don't really remember."

"Damn Barbie, how much did you drink last night? It takes a lot of alcohol for a vampire too black out."

Caroline rolled her eyes. Of course he would assume that was the reason she couldn't remember. Not compulsion or torture. In a way, it was a good thing. He wouldn't suspect anything. But if her instincts were correct, he just wanted to cover for something. Damon was always good at distracting people. But Caroline knew when she was being distracted. She had done her fair share of it back in Mystic Falls.

She shook her head. Mystic Falls was in the past, and it wasn't worth thinking about.

"That's not important, Damon. Why are you here? Where's Stefan? Elena?"

Damon looked surprised. But he masked the expression quickly, trying to appear cold and indifferent. He walked out of the bathroom towards the closet, where she assumed his suitcase was.

"Stefan? I'm not sure. I thought maybe you would know. I don't know about Elena either." He made sure to avoid Caroline's eyes.

"What aren't you telling me?" Caroline asked suspiciously, coming out of the bathroom and sitting on her bed. She was already tired again.

"Nothing. I really don't know where she is. I lost track of them both after… Well, after you left. Things kinda fell apart a year or so after you booked it out of there..." Damon pulled on a shirt, eyeing the blonde on the bed. Her eyes were drooping, and she lazily pulled the covers over her body.

"Sleep, Barbie. We'll talk in the morning."

"Will you still be here?" Caroline asked sleepily.

Damon paused. Technically, all Klaus asked him to do was watch over her. He didn't need to be involved in her life at all. But he would be lying if he said he didn't miss her.

"Yeah. I will be."

Caroline closed her eyes and fell asleep, while Damon got comfortable in the recliner. After all, it would be a long night of watching over Klaus' most precious commodity.

***

When Caroline woke up the next morning, she had the worst headache of her existence. Even during her human years when she had been running fifteen separate committees all on her own, she had never had a migraine like this. It felt like someone was shoving a pickax repeatedly into the back of her head.

Could vampires even get headaches?

She sat up with a groan, turning away from the light and stretching her limbs. She was reminded of human hangovers, which had sucked even when she deserved them. Caroline hadn't even _done_ anything this time.

When she opened her eyes, Caroline was surprised to see Damon asleep in the recliner next to the bed. She had forgotten all about him.

It was strange seeing him after all these years. After she left Mystic Falls, Caroline assumed everyone would just forget about her. Sure she expected the occasional phone call, but nothing to the magnitude of what actually occurred.

When Elena, Bonnie, and her mom found out Caroline had left, they each made it their personal mission to bring her back home. It had ranged from pleading, threatening, to downright begging for her to come back to Virginia. Even though she wanted too for the first year, Caroline reminded herself about why she left in the first place. And she never went back.

After a while, the calls stopped. She hadn't heard from Elena in a little over two years, and Bonnie for even longer.

But her mom never stopped calling. Every week without fail, Liz made sure to call her daughter at least twice. Caroline almost never called her, but she made sure to pick up the phone when it was her mom. Even though Liz had lacked in the mothering department when Caroline was human, she made up for it now that they were apart. In a way, it worked better for them.

Of course, her mother never stopped trying to convince Caroline to come home. It was natural, but even Liz knew that she would have to let go of her daughter eventually. It got easier and easier for Caroline to resist the temptation of coming home until it was no longer even a temptation.

Caroline was so consumed with thoughts of her mother that she didn't even hear Damon start to stir.

Damon's phone started to ring, perched precariously on the nightstand between them. They both glanced down at it. The caller ID read "Bitch Hybrid."

Their eyes locked and in a split second, a tousle had broken out for the phone. Damon practically flew to the bed to pin Caroline down, but she ducked underneath him. He sped over to the recliner where she landed, and swatted her hand away from his phone.

All Caroline had to do was get one hand tugging on his hair, and he was done. With Damon practically howling on the ground, Caroline snatched his phone up triumphantly and hit send. She put the phone up to her ear.

"Damon?" She heard a familiar voice say impatiently. "What's going on? Why haven't you answered my calls? Is she okay?"

"Klaus?!"

Caroline had barely heard an intake of breath from the other end before a hand appeared and took the phone from her. She looked down to see her hands hanging limply by her side.

"Klaus? Yeah. No, she's fine. Well I'm gonna have to tell her now… God, you're a bitch Original… Nothing, nothing. Yeah. I'll call you later."

"Okay Damon," Caroline said, looking up at him as he hung up the phone. "Will you please explain to me _what the hell is going on?!"_

Damon just stared at her, an unfathomable expression on his face.

"What?!" She practically screamed at him.

"I'm just trying to figure out why Klaus is so in love with you. You're kinda a bitch in the morning."

***

Twenty minutes and a few slaps later, Caroline finally got Damon too tell her the truth. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, staring at a pacing Damon.

"...So then I got a call in the middle of the night, and the next thing I know, Klaus is making me come here too watch over your baby ass for the next century."

Caroline was completely stunned. On some level, she could understand Klaus' protectiveness over her. He had never been very secretive with his emotions, and she _had_ just almost died. She could almost begin to understand his concern. But did he really think she needed a bona-fide babysitter?! She wasn't twelve. Caroline had been taking care of herself for the past six years, and she was perfectly capable of continuing to do so.

But how much did she really do for herself? All those times she had just barely escaped discovery, or a vampire she had pissed of turned up dead…? She had always assumed those were coincidences or luck. But now it looked like Klaus had more to do with it than she thought.

"So let me get this straight," Caroline said slowly, clutching a pillow to her chest. "You're gonna be my what…? Warden? Caretaker?"

"Pretty much."

"That asshole."

Damon looked at her reproachfully. It wasn't like he wanted to be with her any more than she wanted to be with him. Being with Caroline reminded him of Mystic Falls, a place he had tried very hard to run away from. It seemed like whenever he had just begun too forget or start a fresh, something from his old life infiltrated and screwed everything up.

He was so caught up in these thoughts, Damon barely heard the next words out of Caroline's mouth.

"...has too know I can take care of myself. What's his number? Damon? Damon…? I want too call him. Better yet, where's your phone?"

"Oh no, Blondie," He barely caught her wrist before she grabbed his phone from the nightstand. He had too remember to keep that hidden from now on. "If he wanted to talk to you, he would talk to you. But I have a feeling that a conversation between the two of you right now wouldn't go very well. You'd probably insult him, and he'd threaten too stake me again or something. I can't take that chance.

She just glared at him.

"You know Damon, you haven't changed a bit from when I left Mystic Falls."

He didn't say anything too that. They both knew she was wrong, but neither wanted too admit it. It was easier to pretend that the dynamic between them hadn't shifted monumentally, that there wasn't any forgotten tension anymore.

"So what now?" Caroline asked, flopping back on the covers. Her head was still pounding, and an overwhelming thirst came over her. She got up from the bed and made her way over to the hotel mini-fridge, where she pulled out a bag of B+. Slurping on the blood, she instantaneously felt better.

"Now… we have to live with each other until Klaus feels you can take care of yourself."

She was wrong. Her headache was back.

***

Almost four hours later, after a discussion where they both agreed on leaving Paris and catching the first flight to Rome in the morning, Damon was finally able to relax. Because of the ordeal Caroline had been through the previous day, she had been taking sporadic naps throughout the day. Even with a healthy diet of blood, her body was still drained of energy.

Once she was out cold for the fourth time that day, Damon eased his way out of the room and into the hall. Slipping the room key into his back pocket, he took out his phone and started wandering to find a quiet, calm area.

Settling down at a table in the empty, cramped snack room, he dialed Klaus' number. The bitch hybrid would be wanting an update on his creepy obsessions condition.

He picked up before the phone finished its first ring.

"Hello?"

Damon rolled his eyes. Only a one thousand year old immortal would be able too pull off threatening and worried in one word.

"Don't stake me yet. She's been in and out for the past few hours, mostly talking about how much of a douchebag you are, and about how she could take care of herself."

"Well, she clearly can't, and that's why you're with her."

"I know, I know. Just because you're creepily obsessed with her. Some things never chance."

"Don't push it, Damon. I only chose you for this job because you owed me, and I knew she'd be more comfortable with a familiar face. I have no problem with staking you and getting your brother to fill the position."

"My brother… Would be rather hard too track down at this point."

"I have my ways."

Damon scrubbed at his eyes, sighing tiredly. He hated talking to Klaus. He hated his debt. He hated the aching in his chest he felt from being around the blond for less than twelve hours.

"Fine, whatever. She's doing fine. She hates you, but other than that, she's okay. You may want to leave Italy. That's where we're going tomorrow. She doesn't want to stay in Paris anymore."

"Good. I'll be gone in a few hours. Call me tomorrow with another report."

"You do know she's never going to love you, right?"

There was a pause. Damon couldn't tell if the hybrid was genuinely pondering over his words, or trying to control the urge to hop a flight to Paris and rip his throat out himself.

"She's worth waiting for. She always has been."

There was a click, then silence on the other end. Not for the first time in his life, Damon looked around and realized he was completely, one hundred percent alone.

***

During the next week, tensions between Caroline and Damon rose astronomically. Damon could barely comment on something without Caroline making a snarky comment, while Caroline viewed Damon's constant presence as obtrusive and unnecessary.

Needless to say, neither of them were enjoying Rome very much.

After a day of "sight seeing" during which they mostly snapped at each other and stormed off, the duo were both on edge. Both were cursing Klaus' existence, and were seriously considering sharpening a stake and driving it into the others heart.

Once Caroline had stomped off to take a shower, Damon collapsed exhausted onto one of the two beds in the room. He turned on the television, figuring a little mindless reality TV would eventually lull him to sleep. The channel was on some American news station, something Damon rolled his eyes at. So much for experiencing culture in another country.

"And now too Barbara, with news of murder in Chicago. Barbara?"

"Thanks, Tom. It looks like it won't be a very happy Easter for the family of Kayla Smith this year. This 22 year old University of Chicago student was brutally beaten then left to bleed out in an alley of South Chicago. It seems as though this law school bound young woman was caught in the aftershocks of some gang related violence. However, the nature of the beating and the brutality of the death also point to the possibility of the Seattle serial killer. Anyone who has information relating to Kayla's tragic death is urged to call the hotline below, as her murderer is still at large."

"Thanks Barbara," the other newscaster said with a somber look. "Now to the forecast with Benny."

"Damon?" He whirled around towards the blonde vampire, who stood in the bathroom light clutching a towel to her body.

"Is everything okay?"

Without even noticing, Damon had gotten off the bed an was practically pressing his nose to the television screen. Catching a look of his reflection in the steamy bathroom mirror, he realized his face had gone completely ashen.

"Yeah… Yeah. I'm fine. Just something on the news." Despite trying to downgrade his reaction, Caroline still shot him a quizzical glance as she made her way to her suitcase, pulling out sweatpants and an old sweatshirt.

"You mean that murder in Chicago?"

"Um… no. The weather."

She paused on her way back to the bathroom. He knew she could smell a rat about twenty miles away, and cursed his lack of a good cover story.

"What?"

"It's supposed to rain for the next five days!"

"Well… I think that's pretty normal for Chicago. It _is_ called the windy city."

"Oh yeah…"

Caroline gave Damon one more look before she made her way back into the bathroom.

" _That was weird."_ She thought, towel drying her hair. Pulling on her warm clothes, she sighed.

She felt trapped. It felt like Klaus didn't trust her enough to take care of herself. It felt like he had assigned her a babysitter. The hybrid didn't own her, but with the assignment of Damon, he was practically marking her as property.

Caroline was so engrossed in her thoughts of the hybrid that she didn't notice the click of a door as Damon left the room.

***

Despite everything they had been through together, Damon did not keep his brother's cell phone number. After Mystic Falls, he had deleted everyones number except Caroline's.

However, because of his flawless memory, he could recall the ten numbers with relative ease. Damn vampire senses couldn't let him forget anything.

As the brassy ring of the phone sounded in his ear, Damon wondered if he was making a mistake. He hadn't talked to his brother in almost four years.

"Hello?"

Then all of a sudden it didn't matter anymore. His little brothers voice sounded just as it had four years ago, and just as it would sound fifty years from now. He knew that because they were vampires, time was all relative. They could afford to hold a grudge for eternity because they had that long. Blood was thicker than water, but time stretched on for eternity. Sooner or later, blood and water would both run dry, leaving only time remaining.

"Hello, brother. I hear you've gotten up to some trouble in Chicago."

***

When Damon got back to the room after the phone call with Stefan, all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for the next twelve hours. However, like most things, Caroline couldn't let his behavior go.

"So what was that all about?" she asked while she was climbing into bed.

When he didn't immediately answer, she turned her big blue eyes on him. Her charms may have carried her through high school, but they didn't work on him.

"Damon, seriously. We're going to be together for the next indefinite period of time, the least we could do is open up to each other."

He still didn't respond and after a minute, she huffed and snapped the light off. Damon sighed. He knew that it was easier just telling her, even if he didn't want to. But he wasn't going to give up information that easily.

"I'll answer one of your questions if you answer one of mine." He said into the darkness. He could hear her burrowing into her covers on the other side of the room, but she suddenly stilled. A minute passed, then two. He was beginning to doze off when she finally answered him.

"Fine," she said. "But you have to be completely honest. You go first."

Damon was at a loss. He didn't expect her to agree so easily, and he wanted his question to be good. There was no doubt in his mind that Caroline would be honest with him. The baby vampire was a lot of things, but a liar wasn't one of them.

"Why did you really leave Mystic Falls?"

Caroline paused before answering. Of all the things he could ask her, this was probably one of the things she was least comfortable answering. Not only was it deeply personal, but her real reasoning was insanely shallow.

"Remember Hayley?"

"Barely."

"Klaus slept with her."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Caroline sat up in her bed.

"Aren't you going to say anything else?"

"What else would I say?" Damon said, rolling over on his side to face Caroline's bed.

"Oh I don't know, what about 'Wow Caroline, that was so brave of you.' or, 'But you hate Klaus! Why would you flee your hometown just because of him?'"

"Its not up to me to judge why you think you needed to leave. I've ditched places for much less serious offenses. Besides, we both know you would have ended up leaving that town sooner or later anyway."

"When did you get to be so insightful?"

"You know that counts as your question, right?"

"No it doesn't!"

Damon just rolled over and feigned sleep. He could hear her muttering about his insensitivity, but it seemed different. Her words seemed almost affectionate now, and Damon couldn't help but hope that they were getting over their 'wanting to stake each other' phase.

***

The next day, Caroline let Damon lead the plans. He seemed pretty adamant about wanting to eat at a specific cafe whose pasta was 'too die for.' so Caroline let him take the reins for once. Despite his unwillingness to open up to her last night, she couldn't help but feel as though they were making progress in their friendship.

After about ten minutes of looking at the menu, a waitress approached ready to take their order. Caroline had barely opened her mouth before Damon shooed her away.

"What was that all about? Aren't you ready yet?"

He looked at her briefly before continuing to glance around the small outdoor square. Caroline hadn't noticed it before, but he was being very jumpy today.

"Damon? What's going on?"

"Caroline?"

Caroline whirled around, and instantly felt like she had been transported back 6 years.

"Stefan?"

Her old friends eyes narrowed and in that instant, Caroline knew he had turned his emotions off. Her heart ached for him, wondering what turmoil caused him to completely shut off the human part of himself.

"What… What are you doing here?" she stuttered out. She hadn't seen Stefan since she left Mystic Falls, and he was one of the only people she truly missed.

"Didn't Damon tell you?" he said, bored already. He dropped into a chair, pulling a piece of bread from the basket on the table. He started idly munching on it, raising his eyebrows at his brother.

When no one made any reply, he groaned.

"I've been on a bit of a… murdering spree lately. Damon wants to correct this behavior."

Caroline stared at the brothers, dumbstruck. Since when was Damon the one reeling in his brother? Wasn't it usually the other way around?

"Oh god," Stefan said, rummaging around in his pockets for something. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, blowing purple smoke into the air. "You two aren't dating now, are you? I only came because Damon practically begged me to. I don't wanna be around during the awkward Daroline sex."

Caroline and Damon both groaned. It was going to be a very long afternoon.

***

"What the hell, Damon?" Caroline hissed. They were back in their hotel room after a long day of dealing with emotionless and passive-aggressive Stefan. They had just dropped him off in the adjoining room, something he was less than happy about. She was exhausted, but this was the first time the two had been alone since this morning. There was no way in hell she would let Damon go without an explanation.

"What, Blondie? I thought you would enjoy having Stefan around. Weren't you two friends once upon a time?"

"I was friends with compassionate Stefan. This one is just a douchebag."

He glared at her, stripping off his shirt and changing into pajamas. She knew she had hit a nerve by addressing his brothers attitude, but if she didn't mention it, then who would? But she knew she was in trouble when he stalked towards her, backing her into a corner. She barely had room to breathe when he stopped.

"Okay, here's what's gonna happen. You're going to help me help Stefan. I know that's practically your specialty or whatever, and I need help here. You've only cared about yourself for the past six years, and sorry, but it's getting ridiculous. Time to re-enter the world of friendship. And that's coming from me, one of the most ruthless guys you know."

He had barely backed away when he saw the look of clear skepticism on her face. His eyes softened, and for the first time ever, she was able to look past the facade and see who Damon truly was. A man who cared about his family.

"Please Caroline. I can't bring him back without you."

She paused, considering. It was Stefan who had stopped Damon from staking her when she first turned. Stefan who she rooted for in the race to win Elena's heart. If she didn't help him now in his greatest time of need, then who would?

"Okay."

***

That night lying in bed, Caroline realized something.

"Damon?" she whispered, knowing he wasn't asleep yet.

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you my question now?"

He sighed. She suspected that he was either too tired to deal with her, or just tired enough that he would put up with her inane nature.

"I guess."

"Why are you doing Klaus' bidding?"

"Because I owe him."

"For what?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow, Caroline. Please just go to sleep."

Caroline wasn't satisfied. But with the promise of an answer in the morning, she dozed off into the deepest sleep she'd had in nearly six years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Haha. Okay. So... Yeah, this chapter turned out completely different than I thought it would. I honestly don't know where half of this stuff came from, but I'm liking the direction this story is taking. I know where it's going to end, but how I get there is up to my keyboard.
> 
> Also, I just wanted to make something clear. This story IS Klaroline... but it's mostly about Caroline and the steps I want her to take in her new vampire life. She's not only losing every single aspect of her human life, but she has to figure out how to live without constant support. She has to learn how to be independent, and that journey fascinates me.


	5. Chapter 5

When Caroline woke up the next morning, she was instantly on edge. Despite her naivety in Mystic Falls and her lack of fighting skills, spending the past six years alone had forced her to improve her survival techniques. There were dozens of vampires and gross guys alike who tried to prey on the pretty blonde, and Caroline had quickly learned it was sink or swim in the real world. So she had learned how to take care of herself.

She stiffened in her bed, eyes not open yet. She could hear the shower running, and the news on in the background. Caroline decided to stay motionless, hoping for a few more moments hiding from a day she could already tell was going to be long and hard.

"If you're going to fake sleep, you could at least attempt to control your breathing." She heard a voice say.

In a second, Caroline was up and across the room, her hand poised on the door handle. She looked at the arm chair next to the bed, and saw Stefan lounging with the TV remote in his hand, looking at her uninterestedly.

"Damn. You're reflexes have gotten better since Mystic Falls. Probably because you've been tortured so many times, huh?"

Right before Caroline could remember that this Stefan wasn't _her_ Stefan, and she therefore could not throttle him, the bathroom door to her right opened.

The amount of times she had seen Damon in just a towel over the past two weeks could not have been healthy. But Caroline couldn't ignore the fact that the man looked damn good just out of the shower. Her eyes travelled up his body, only stopping when her eyes locked with his.

"Why don't you take a picture, Blondie?"

Caroline groaned. She was right; it was going to be a long day.

***

Almost an hour later, Caroline was observing the two brothers from her perch on the bed. Stefan had not moved from his spot in the recliner, with his eyes firmly glued on the television. Damon had thankfully changed into clothes, but Caroline still had trouble taking her eyes away from his strong biceps.

"Caroline, would you like me to buy you a camera myself? I will literally do anything to get you to stop eye stalking my brother."

She was literally off the bed heading towards the secret stake she kept in her suitcase when Damon caught her arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You'll regret it."

"I honestly don't care right now." She was tearing through her suitcase looking for the false bottom when she felt a strong hand at her elbow. Caroline had just managed to clear out all of her clothes when Damon dragged her from the hotel room. The door had barely slammed shut when the older vampire slammed her against it, one hand at her throat.

"What the hell, Damon?"

He snarled at her, a look in his eyes she had never seen before.

"Don't you get it Caroline?! Stop feeding into his psychotic tendencies!"

"What are you talking about?!" She clawed at the hand still wrapped around her throat. Although she did not technically need to breath, it was still a habit she had trouble abandoning after almost 24 years.

Damon dropped her abruptly, and started pacing up and down the hall. The grimy light bounced off of his pale skin, making him look gaunt and almost translucent. He ran his hands through his dark hair, shoulders dropping. He turned back to look at her, taking a deep breath.

"Look, you're young. You've never had to deal with an emotionless, self-centered vampire before."

"Yes, but I _have_ dealt with high school boys, which is pretty much the same thing. And let me tell you Damon, your way of _handling this_? It sucks."

"You don't get it! He doesn't _care,_ Caroline! He wants to make you uncomfortable. He wants to get you angry. He doesn't want help! The reason he did this was because he was too overwhelmed with emotion. Seeing others become that way is nothing more than a game to him now!"

"Then why are we even trying to help him? He clearly doesn't want it!"

Damon pulled away from her, arms hanging limply by his sides. For the first time in her life, Caroline was able to see the Damon Elena saw all those years ago in Mystic Falls. One who genuinely cared for his brother and who just wanted the best for him.

"Because..." Damon hesitated. He seemed to be deliberating on whether or not he should reveal something. "Because he's my brother. I owe him this much. And so do you."

With one last withering look along with the statement that left a gaping hole in her chest, Damon spun around and strode into the hotel room, slamming the door behind him. Caroline was left in the hall, stunned and ashamed.

***

In hindsight, Caroline realized it was probably not a good idea to leave the hotel unsupervised. But after her fight with Damon, it was too difficult to face the prospect of going back into the stifling hotel room and pretending everything was fine.

She used to be the girl with the ever present smile. The one who saw the bright side of everything, and who would do anything for her friends.

But if Caroline was being honest with herself, she had left that version of herself in the airport the day she left Mystic Falls. Six years later, she had proved she could more or less take care of herself. She didn't need anyone else, so why bother herself with the problems of friends from what felt like lifetimes ago?

It was so easy for everyone else to drop into her life. Caroline had spent the last six years trying to forget about the first 17. But now... Now there was a constant presence reminding her, one that was probably going to be around for quite a while.

Caroline sighed, looking around the small park in which she had stormed to after her words with Damon. It seemed as though humans were far more intuitive than vampires gave them credit for; upon seeing the fuming blonde, the park had become practically abandoned.

Italy was beatiful. When Damon asked her which area she preffered, Caroline had absently replied with the one closest to a vineyard where she could stomp grapes like on that episode of _I Love Lucy._ Damon had just levelled her a look, but she knew for a fact there was a vineyard practically down the road from their hotel.

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, probably for the tenth time in the hour since she left. Once again, the baby vampire ignored it. She knew it was Damon checking in on her. She would make her way back to the hotel when she was ready. First, she had to clear her thoughts.

Even though the Mystic Falls Caroline would be with Stefan right now, this Caroline couldn't fathon going back.

For the past six years, it had been all about her. She was almost sickeningly self centered, catering to only her needs and wants. Everytime Caroline had started to care about another person, she instantly backed away. She never wanted another person to have the upper hand, so she shut them out.

But she couldn't help but remember all the times Stefan had been there for her. From when she was a newly turned vampire barely capable of suppressing her bloodlust, to helping her through the collapse of everything she held sacred. He was there with her through it all.

In a way, Caroline was indebted to the now emotionless vampire. She needed to help her old mentor come to terms with his past. Damon was right. She owed him that much.

***

"Oh my God, will you quit it? You're starting to give me a migraine."

"Sorry Stef, when Klaus comes looking to _kill me_ I'll be sure to let him know that the reason I lost his one true love was because my stupid younger brother was the one who practically drove her to the brink of suicide. I'm sure he'll point the stake to your chest instead."

"Klaus doesn't love her, he just wants her."

Damon looked up from his phone, finally distracted. They were sitting on the balcony of the hotel room, two glasses of blood between them. Stefan had a cigarette dangling between his fingers, and he lazily looked at Damon as he took a drag.

"How could you possibly know that? Did you two go to Heartless Anonymous together or something? Let me guess, he was your sponsor."

Stefan just shrugged, gazing into the rolling hills of Italy. It was far too green for his liking,

"I just know. People like Klaus don't _love._ They just lust. Once he gets some action from her, he'll most likely rip her heart out. It's classic Klaus."

"Don't talk about Caroline like that."

"What? Does someone have a crush on the Original Hybrid's hot piece of ass?"

Damon chose not to reply, and instead called Caroline's cell phone for the eleventh time. When he once again heard the chirpy tones of her voicemail in his ear, he slammed his phone on the table, frustrated.

"Where could she be?!"

"I don't know. Spearheading some committee, or micro-managing someone's life. Isn't that the Caroline thing?"

"She's changed since she left Mystic Falls. Even you have to see that."

Stefan paused for a moment, thinking back to the few interactions the former friends had had with each other in the past two days. There _was_ something different.

He was silent for a few more moments before locking eyes with Damon, a serious look in his eyes.

"Does she know?"

"Know what?"

"You know what."

Damon sighed, picking up his blood. Taking a sip, he observed the scenery. His heart ached, a feeling he had grown accustomed to over the past two years.

"No. She doesn't."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know, okay!" Damon yelled, slamming his tumbler onto the table. It shattered, sending glass shards everywhere. The brothers locked eyes, one looking pained, the other looking bored.

"She's smart you know. She'll start asking questions eventually."

Before Damon could open his mouth to retort, a door slammed. Caroline appeared in the doorway of the balcony, a look of determination on her face that neither of the brothers had seen since Mystic Falls.

"What are you two doing?"

When neither Stefan nor Damon made any reply, Caroline stomped onto the balcony, hands on her hips. The gesture almost made Damon smile, until he remembered he was mad at her for running off.

Caroline sighed. She had come back for a reason, and it was staring straight at her.

"Look," she said, arms crossed against her chest. "If we're gonna fix Stefan, then I'm going to need a drink."

Damon could barely suppress a chuckle as the blonde spun on her heal and stomped back into the room, going for the mini-fridge where they kept the blood.

 _Oh yeah_ , he thought. _The bitch of Mystic Falls has returned._

***

"The first step," Damon said, as they sat in hotel room. "Is getting him to give up human blood. If we put him on an all animal diet, then he's more likely to grow angry."

"But isn't that kind of counter-productive?"

Damon looked up. Up until that point, he had barely even acknowledged that Caroline was in the room with him. He had just sat in the armchair, mumbling about blood and Stefan. It was getting harder and harder to keep up.

"No. It's not."

Caroline raised her eyebrows, urging him to go on. He sighed, unhappy he had to explain this to her.

"Turning your emotions back on is more... difficult than turning them off. You have to-"

"But what does that have to do with making him angry?"

"What is anger, Caroline?" Damon said, frustratedly.

She paused for a moment. Anger was... well, it was an emotion. And if Stefan could feel anger, then he was capable of feeling anything.

"It's an emotion."

"It's the first emotion you experience as a human. It would just make sense it's the first thing you experience as a vampire. Once he can feel anger, then making him feel everything else will be easy."

Without realizing it, Caroline had drawn closer to Damon. She had never known turning off your emotions would have such large effects. As a relatively new vampire, she was still learning things about her nature everyday.

"Why would he do this to himself? Why would he turn his emotions off if he knew that this is what it would take to bring them back?"

Damon avoided her eyes, instead choosing to look out the window. Caroline sighed, frustrated. He had been deflecting her questions since he started watching over her for Klaus.

"What aren't you telling me, Damon?"

Again, he didn't answer. If this was the way he was going to be, fine. Caroline could play dirty too.

"You know what... Never mind. You're not gonna tell me anything. I'll just go ask Stefan."

She had barely taken two steps to the balcony where Stefan was still sitting when Damon grabbed her arm, hard enough to bruise.

"You are pushing your luck, Blondie."

"You can't kill me. You're the one in charge of making sure I don't kill _myself._ "

Damons grip tightened. "Fine," he said, steering the blonde towards the balcony door. "If you wanna know so badly, ask him yourself."

"What?"

"Come on, I'll make sure he doesn't stake you. That's my _job,_ right?"

Caroline barely had the chance to send him a piercing glare before he shoved her in a chair across from Stefan, taking the chair between them.

"What?" Stefan asked, bored with their conversation already. He blew smoke rings into the night sky, the hazy ash glowing purple in the moonlight.

"Blondie has a question for you."

Caroline glared at Damon, unprepared to confront Stefan. The least the douchebag could do was give her a few minutes to prepare a speech or something.

"So... obviously you've turned off your humanity." Caroline started, facing Stefan. He snorted.

"Obviously. I see your deduction skills have also gotten better since Mystic Falls."

Ignoring his last jibe, Caroline continued. "And I just wanted to know... Why?"

Stefan paused, looking between her and Damon. He seemed surprised she was asking him, but glee was slowly creeping its way into his expression.

"I think Damon should be the one to tell you that. Seeing as he was basically the real reason."

Caroline turned to look at Damon. He was avoiding her gaze, instead determinedly staring at a potted plant on the corner of the balcony. So _he_ had been the catalyst this entire time?

"Damon?" Stefan said, looking towards his brother. "Would you like to tell the story, or should I?"

"Oh, I think you tell it just as well as I do." Damon said the words through his teeth, as though they pained him. The two locked their gazes, a silent battle breaking out between them.

Caroline looked back and forth between the glaring brothers, wondering what they were talking about. It wasn't the first time this had happened in the past few days. Stefan would make a snotty remark, and Damon would shut him down, with Caroline completely lost. The thought of these altercations ignited a fire in Caroline's belly. She would _not_ be taken for a fool.

"Would one of you tell me what the hell is going on?!" she yelled, finally breaking through the invisible boundary between the two brothers. They both looked at her, Stefan smirking with his arms folded across his chest.

He leaned back in his chair and took the cigarette from between his lips before finally delivering the news that Damon had been so desperately trying to avoid.

"Elena's dead."

***

Caroline ran. After hearing the news, she sat stunned for a few moments. She looked at Stefan's smirking, unflinching face and hated him more than she ever had before. But then she looked at Damon, who held the unmistakable expression of guilt, and realized she hated him even more than his brother.

She collapsed on the very bench she had sat on earlier that day and broke down in tears. Despite her previous deliberation over whether or not she wanted to help Stefan, she knew she would always end up aiding Damon in his quest to make his brother regain his humanity. Caroline knew the value of true friendship, and Stefan had always been one to her.

But now... Now everything had changed. If what Stefan said was true, she had lost one more person she loved and cared about. There was one less person in this world whom she cherished, and Caroline hadn't even realized it.

This realization only made her sob harder, and it took her a few moments to realize that there was another presence sitting next to her on the bench. When she looked to her left, Damon's guilt ridden face was the only thing she saw.

"I don't want to talk to you."

"I should have told you."

"But you didn't. You kept it from me. My best friend died... and you didn't even consider letting me know."

"There's so much that you don't know, Caroline."

"Yeah, because you didn't tell me."

The two sat in silence for almost an hour, the quiet only broken by Caroline's sniffles. When she had finally calmed down, she once again looked at Damon.

"Tell me," Caroline commanded, a fiery stubbornness in her eyes.

"Tell you what?"

"Everything. I need to know. You've kept enough from me."

Damon sighed, as though stealing himself. "You're not gonna like it, Caroline."

"I need to know, Damon." she repeated.

Damon just looked at her. He took a deep breath, then started to speak.

"About two years ago, Tyler Lockwood came back into town."

"Tyler?" Caroline interrupted. "But he wasn't allowed in Mystic Falls. Why would he come back?"

"I don't know, Caroline. But he did." Damon continued, annoyed. "Look, I'm only telling this story once, and I don't want you interrupting every ten seconds."

Caroline just sat in silence, staring at the older vampire.

"So anyway... On the full moon one month, he got out. He went on a rampage throughout the entire town. He killed at least five people. And... Elena was bitten."

Caroline stifled her gasp, too horrified to interrupt. Damon didn't even look at her, too consumed by his story.

"Stefan and I were terrified. We both knew what would happen if the werewolf venom stayed in her system for to long. So we contacted Klaus in New Orleans."

There, he paused. His eyes were so far away Caroline knew even if she wanted too, she could not stop this story.

"Klaus came back to Mystic Falls. We bargained, we pleaded. We practically offered our lives. But he just wanted one thing- a debt. A debt payable to him anytime he needed it. So obviously, we took the deal. I'm paying mine right now, by watching over you."

All of a sudden, he was pulled back into the present. His head snapped back around, and their eyes locked. Caroline could see fear and pain in his eyes, but also acceptance of the story he was telling. And that absolutely _terrified_ her.

"Damon," she said. "Please don't tell me she died of a werewolf bite."

"Klaus gave us a vial of his blood. We took it back to her... We thought everything was going to be okay. But she wouldn't drink it."

"What?"

"She refused the blood."

Caroline just stared at him, a mixture of stunned revolsion and sadness on her face.

"But... why?"

Damon sighed heavily. "You knew her, Caroline. Elena never wanted to be a vampire. She would have rather died. So she did."

Once again, tears had crept their way into Caroline's eyes. Her best friend had rather died than faced an eternity of life. In a way, Caroline respected her bravery. Or she would have if the loss hadn't hurt so god damn much.

"But wait..." Caroline said, wiping at her tears. "Stefan said you're basically the reason he shut his humanity off. What does that mean?"

"When she told us she didn't want the werewolf bite cure, Stefan wanted to shove it down her throat."

"And you... didn't want that?"

"No," Damon said, getting that far away look in his eyes again. "She had the right to make her own decisions. We couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do. Elena turned without the desire to ever be a vampire, but she died on her own terms. Stefan didn't understand that, and he has hated me ever since."

"So because of Elena's death, he turned off his humanity?"

"Yes."

"And he blames you?"

"Yes."

Once again, the two didn't speak. They were each caught up in their own thoughts, staring off into the distance.

"Hey Damon?" Caroline said, looking at the older vampire.

"Yeah?"

"Can we go home now?"

Damon paused, staring at her. "Sure, Blondie."

***

Once they got back to the hotel, they barely wanted to look at each other. Despite the deeply personal emotions they had each revealed in front of the other one, the two weren't completely comfortable around each other yet.

Once the lights were out and Caroline was safely tucked away underneath the covers with Damon settled on the armchair, the silence was stifling. She felt as though she was drowning in it, and she could barely breath.

A few moments later, she had started to cry. Despite trying to stifle her sobs into the pillow, Damon's hearing was too perceptive. Before Caroline could register the extra weight on the mattress, the older vampire's arms were encircling her.

She flipped over to face his chest, burying her head into it. Damon stroked her hair, gently comforting Caroline. Only after her tears had run dry did she pull her head away to look him straight in the eye.

"Do you miss her?" Caroline asked, blue eyes locking.

Damon paused before he responded. "Every damn day."

Caroline nodded slowly, burrowing her head back into his chest. A few minutes later, they both drifted off to sleep, clinging to each other and taking comfort in the other's presence.


	6. Chapter 6

Soft golden light came streaming in through the window the next morning, illuminating everything in the room. The two sleeping figures in the bed were peacefully dreaming, Damon's arms wrapped protectively around Caroline. To anyone else, the gesture would have been sweet.

But to Stefan, it was revolting. He knew coming with them would be a mistake. He had been perfectly fine killing people in America, feeling nothing and caring even less. But Damon just had to play the older brother card, forcing Stefan to abandon his carefree life of murder and sex.

Speaking loudly, Stefan disrupted the two vampires peaceful slumber. "Holy shit," he said pointedly, watching Damon blink awake. "I knew I'd have to see the aftermath of Daroline sex."

Caroline sat straight up in bed, instantly alert. She had always been a light sleeper, and the six years alone had heightened her reflexes.

"Stefan," Damon practically growled, hands scrubbing at his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Don't worry guys, just one thing and I'll be out of your hair." Stefan gave the two one last look, then made his way over to the blood stocked mini-fridge. Grabbing a blood bag and sucking through the straw, his face turned from one of enojyment to disgust.

"What the hell is this?!" He asked, swallowing the blood distastefully. The blood tasted weak and stale, like it had been tapped from the vein months ago.

"Your new diet," Damon said, throwing the covers off him and grabbing his phone from the bedside table. "Animal blood."

With the click of a lock and the slam of the hotel door, Damon left Caroline to deal with his little brothers inevitable tantrum. Stefan glared at the baby vampire, ready to stake her. Caroline just glared back, not prepared to handle one of his tempramental, emotionless vampire bitch fits.

"What the hell, Caroline?"

"Oh come on, Stefan," the blonde said, following Damon's lead and getting out of bed. "You had to expect this. You know Damon wants you regain your emotions."

Stefan just glared, throwing the rest of the animal blood into the trash can. He didn't say anything else to Caroline, instead grabbing a pack of cigarettes from the table and stomping his way outside on the balcony.

"And another thing," Caroline yelled to his retreating back. "I am not sleeping with your brother!"

She barely heard his snort of disbelief before she slammed the bathroom door, fuming on the other side.

***

Out in the hallway, Damon was dealing with a bitch fit of his own.

"Honestly," Klaus said from the other end of the phone. "I don't know what is so difficult about this favor. I delieverd 100 percent when you asked me to save Elena's life, but you can barely handle this simple task."

"Klaus, she was going through a lot last night. I didn't have time to call you."

There was a pause while Klaus registered what the other vampire had just said. Damon barely supressed a groan, knowing that the hybrid would be more worried than ever, which meant more frequent phone calls.

"What do you mean, 'going through a lot?'"

"Stefan is here. And I had to tell her about Elena. She's just kinda... fragile right now. It's nothing I can't handle."

"Stefan is with you and you expect me to believe you're keeping her safe?" Klaus asked, disbelievingly. Damon was positive he was getting ready to hop the next flight to Italy, and chose his next words more carefully.

"Look," he said calmly. "Stefan and I are the only real ties she has left to Mystic Falls. If we're here with her, it might bring her comfort. We're only trying to help her. I'm not going to let anything happen to her."

There was a pause while Klaus seemed to deliberate his words. "Fine. But if the Ripper does _anything_ to harm her, it'll be both of your hearts across the room."

With a click and a dial tone in his ear, Damon let out a sigh. He would have to be even more careful from now on. He found himself wanting to protect Caroline not only because of Klaus' threat, but also because of a natural instinct. Damon felt his throat constrict at the thought of something bad happening to the blonde, and banished the thought from his mind. He would make sure she was safe. No matter what.

***

The next few days were a blur of tension. With Stefan back on the animal diet, he was increasingly more snippy and less willing to deal with Damon or Caroline.

However, Damon was extatic. The more insults Stefan threw at them, the better. He had achieved angry, with full blown rage coming any day now. After that, everything would be easy.

After one of Stefan's tantrums which involved him yelling over the lack of 'good TV' in Italy, he stormed out of the hotel room, leaving Damon and Caroline alone.

Damon could barely contain his glee, something which had begun to increasingly annoy Caroline.

"Will you please at least attempt to control your happiness?" Caroline snarled, shooting Damon a dirty look.

"Come on, Blondie." said Damon, drinking decidedly non-animal blood from a bag. "This is a good thing. Just because he's taking shots at your ego doesn't mean I'm going to undo the progress we've made so far."

"He called me a bloodsucking parasite who didn't even deserve the girft of vampirism!"

"So?" Damon asked, raising his eyebrows. Caroline nearly screamed with frustration.

"So?! So he's being ridiculous! I shouldn't have to deal with this!"

Damon had just opened his mouth to retort angrily when a bloodcurdling scream was heard from the street below. In a flash, both vampires left the room, screeching to a halt on the pavement in front of their hotel.

If Caroline was not already dead, her heart would have stopped from the sight before her. Stefan stood in the middle of the street, holding an unconscious girl with her neck to his lips. Thankfully, other than the four, the street was deserted.

In less than a second, Caroline had flashed over to the two, ripping the stranger from Stefan's grip. Biting into her wrist, she quickly held it to the girls lips. Forcing the blood down her throat, she realized it was futile. She didn't have a pulse, and Caroline couldn't hear her heart beating anymore.

Caroline gently lowered the stranger to the ground, staring up at Stefan. His eyes glinted gold, blood dripping down his chin. She was getting ready to lay into him, yell about the unnecessary loss of life when she caught a glimpse of Damon's smirking face out of the corner of her eye.

Looking back at Stefan, she realized he was no longer looking at her. His eyes were glued to the dead human on the pavement, her blood staining the grey concrete a dark maroon. He sank down next to Caroline, gently moving the girls hair away from the wound on her neck.

His eyes flashed with regret, then closed off once again. "Leave," he growled to Damon and Caroline.

"Stefan..." Caroline said gently, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. He just shrugged away, avoiding her gaze.

"I said leave!" Stefan yelled, his fangs protruding. Damon grabbed Caroline by the upper arms, flashing them away from his brother. In a second, he had her almost 6 blocks away, pressed up against a building in a dark alley.

"What the hell, Damon?" she yelled, fighting against his hold.

"Blondie, calm down."

"I will not calm down! What is this Damon, what did you do?"

"What no one else had the guts to do, Caroline!" Damon yelled. He let go of the younger vampire, instead punching the wall next to her. He stalked off down the alley, away from Caroline. He had not grown violent with her in the weeks they had been together, no matter how much she provoked him. The sight had Caroline flashing back to Mystic Falls, and the way he terrified her at the tender age of 17.

She stayed silent, sinking into herself against the wall. Despite everything she had been through as a vampire, an angry Damon still had the ability to put the fear of God in her. She heard him take a few deep breaths from down the alley, then he came walking back towards her.

"Listen Blondie, I know you think that- Caroline? What's wrong?"

He found her with her arms tightly crossed over her chest, avoiding his gaze. When he caught her eye, he saw an expression in them that he hadn't seen since he first arrived in Mystic Falls; fear. Fear of him.

"Hey," he said, drawing closer to her. Caroline looked down at the pavement, refusing to meet his gaze. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm sorry."

She wasn't crying, but he knew she needed comfort right now more than ever. So Damon slowly drew her into his arms, realizing she was trembling. He felt terrible for scaring her, and hugged her even tighter. Slowly, Caroline wound her arms around him. Loosely, but it was enough.

He drew back, making sure to keep his face calm. She was still in his embrace, but her eyes had never seemed so distant.

"I had to let him do it, Caroline. Do you know how many emotions he experienced just now? Happiness. Euphoria. Regret. Shame. I knew what he was going to do."

"But that girl..."

"Was collateral damage."

When she didn't respond, Damon pulled farther away from her. He sighed, knowing the human part of her wouldn't accept his explanation.

"You just don't get it, Caroline." Damon started to walk away, assuming she would follow him.

"No, I don't think _you_ get it."

When Damon turned back around, he realized Caroline hadn't made any more to follow him. Instead, she was glaring at him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I've _been_ the collateral damage, and it sucks. Do you know how bad it feels to know that no one in the world gives a shit about you? To know that you're not worth saving?"

Damon drew closer to her, realizing his choice of words were not the best. Klaus had made it perfectly clear the first time he made Tyler bite her that she was disposable, and she had lived her entire life believing it.

"Okay, bad choice of words. But Blondie, I'll do _anything_ to get my brother back. And if it takes a few dead bodies... Then so be it."

Caroline glared at him, but Damon wasn't finished.

"But let me be clear, Caroline. I'll never do anything to put you in danger. Not because Klaus told me too. Not because I feel like I owe you. But because... Because you're my friend. And your friendship means more to me than any 'collateral damage' that may come along."

They were barely a breath apart now. If she wanted to, Caroline could count the number of eyelashes he had.

"So we're gonna fix my brother. And I'm going to keep protecting you. Okay?"

For the first time ever in his presence, Caroline felt completely safe. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wasn't going to hurt her, and that he would protect her no matter what. She couldn't decide if this blind trust was foolish or not, but she was prepared to let Damon prove that what he said was true.

Caroline took a deep breath, and fell even farther into the rabbit hole.

"Okay."

***

When they got back to the hotel a few hours later, neither expected to find Stefan waiting in their room.

"I wanna leave Italy." He announced as soon as the duo walked through the door.

"What about the girl?" Damon asked, pulling an animal blood bag from the fridge. He took a big enough sip to quench his thirst, but immediately passed it to Caroline with a look of disgust on his face.

"I... I took care of it." Stefan answered, remnants of remorse clear on his face. "But I want to leave. This country is boring."

"Yeah, that's it." Caroline mumbled, sipping the blood.

Stefan just gave her a withering look. She considered this progress. Four hours ago he would have called her a hybrid seducing scumbag with no real appreciation for vampirism. Maybe Damon's plans did have some merit to them after all.

"Okay, fine." Damon said. "We'll leave first thing in the morning. Where do you want to go?"

Stefan hesitated before answering. "California."

"The United States? You must be out of your mind, brother. You're wanted in at least three states."

"Then what was the point of putting me on an all animal blood diet? Look, I know I screwed up. But I know for a fact that I passed your psychotic test. I _felt_ something. Don't you think you can give me this one satisfaction?"

"It's out of the question. Not only because of you... But because of Caroline too. Klaus would neve be okay with it." Damon said, distracted by his ringing phone. "I have to take this. Blondie, while I'm gone, please try to talk some sense in him. I'm feeling somewhere in France."

Lifting his phone to his ear, Damon strode from the room. Stefan turned to his old friend, puppy dog eyes already in place.

"Caroline, come on. I know we haven't been in the best place lately. But you're both getting what you want. I'm starting to regain my emotions. Can't I just have this?"

She looked at him suspiciously. Caroline didn't believe for one second that Stefan just randomly chose California. There had to be another reason. But she'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't miss the States. It had been a long time since she had been there... too long.

"Don't worry," she said, shooting Stefan her trademark Caroline Forbes smirk. "I know exactly how to handle this."

***

Out in the hallway, Damon was arguing with Klaus once again. He was so caught up in his conversation, he barely registered the quiet click of a door signaling another presence in the small corridor.

"I know Klaus... I got it."

In a flash, the phone was taken from Damon's grip. Whirling around, he realized the small blonde vampire was staring straight at him, smirking with the phone at her ear.

"Klaus," she said into the reciever. "It's been a while."

There was a pause. Damon could practically feel the inevitable stake in his heart, and if he hadn't just assured Caroline he would never hurt her, there would be a Blondie shaped hole in the hotel wall.

On the other line, there was a pause. "It sure has, love."

Caroline smiled triumphantly. She knew when she had a man wrapped around her finger, and even Klaus wasn't immune to her. And in this case... she wasn't afraid to play a little dirty.

"So listen... I need a favor." She continued, darting away from Damon. "I've been experiencing a bit of cabin fever. And since you're the one who locked me up with _Damon_ of all people, the least you could do is tell him to chill out a little bit with the over-protectiveness."

"I fail to see your point, love. What exactly do you want?"

"I want to come home." Caroline ignored Damons gestures of pretending to stake himself, instead turning her back on him. "Well, not home home. Just back to the United States."

There was a pause. "Where?"

Caroline could barely contain her squeal of glee. "California."

"Out of the question."

"Better be careful Klaus... Or I may start to experience Stockholm Syndrome. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

There was another pause. "Put Damon back on the phone," the hybrid growled. Caroline threw Damon the phone, ignoring his look of rage. He put the phone back up to his ear, prepared for the hyrbid tantrum that was sure to follow.

"Give her what she wants. But I swear, Damon... if she comes to any harm, I will make sure your death is as drawn out as possible."

"So... we can come back to the United States?"

"Yes," Klaus continued, taking deep breathes. "I'll work on having Stefan's warrants lifted. You should be free to travel by tomorrow."

"Okay."

"And one more thing, Damon... If you so much as touch her, I'll rip all of your fingers off. Put Caroline back on the phone."

The older vampire practically threw his phone back to Caroline, immediately turning away and stomping down the hall. If she had to guess, Caroline would wager he was going to the hotel bar.

"Yes, Klaus?" Caroline said stubbornly.

"Everything is arranged."

"Okay."

"And...?"

"And... thank you. I guess."

"You're very welcome, love." Klaus said patiently. It felt so good to talk to her. He hadn't heard her voice in too long.

"This doesn't change anything, you know." She said after a beat.

"Of course it doesn't."

"I still hate you."

"You'd be a fool not to."

She sighed. Caroline had expected him to be angry, not entertained. The fact that she had to even ask his permission to do _anything_ already pissed her off. Now he was just being too... too nice.

She was just about to hang up the phone when she heard the hybrid continue.

"You do know I'm doing this to protect you, right? I don't want anything bad to happen to you. If something did... I don't know what I would do."

She paused for a beat, breath caught in her throat. "I know, Klaus."

He sighed defeatedly. "Goodbye, Caroline. Take care of yourself."

She hung up the phone without saying goodbye, staring at the now dark screen. Caroline slowly turned back into the room, gingerly opening the door. She was immediately faced with a grinning Stefan.

"Stockholm Sydnrome, huh?" he smirked at her, almost kindly. She could still see the closedness of his eyes, but still... there was hope.

"Oh shut up." she answered, suppressing a smile.

***

Caroline was sleeping soundly that night when Damon came stumbling back into the room. It was past four o'clock, and he had been gone for nearly eight hours. Caroline guessed he had consumed most of the bars alcohol, but she highly doubted he was actually drunk.

She watched him change shirts fluidly and surmised that his basic motor functions were still intact, which meant he was buzzed at worst. Caroline had just let her head fall back on the pillow, intending to sleep another full six hours when she felt the bed shift.

Damon was sitting on the edge, staring at the blonde intently. "I know what he said..." Damon mumbled. "But I just can't seem to stay away."

Caroline just looked at him confusedly. There seemed to be a silent battle happening in the older vampires head. After a few moments, he just sighed and laid down next to her. Damon curled his arm over her waist, pulling the blonde closer to his chest. Caroline snuggled into him, glad for the warmth.

Neither spoke for a few moments, perfectly intent ot stay silent. Caroline had just started to drift back to sleep when she heard Damon start to speak.

"You know I'm sorry, right?"

"Sorry for what?" she sleepily replied, eyes still half closed.

"For what I did to you in Mystic Falls. Compelling you, feeding on you... It was wrong."

"It's in the past, Damon."

"I know... I just wish I hadn't done it. You didn't deserve it. If I could go back and change my actions, I would do it in a heartbeat."

Caroline raised her head up to meet his eyes. "What brought this on, Damon?"

"It's something I've been feeling guilty for for a while now... I just wanted you to know I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I was a stupid human. I'm over it."

"But still... You didn't deserve it." Damon sighed, drawing her closer to him. "You're beautiful, and amazing. I didn't see it then, but I do know. And..."

He trailed off. Caroline thought he fell asleep until he continued almost a full minute later.

"And Klaus doesn't deserve you."

When Caroline met his eyes, Damon was looking at her in a way he had never looked at her before. Like no one had _ever_ looked at her. As he inched toward her, she decided this is what true, pure need felt like. That fire in her belly, one that could only be extinguished by him. It felt like she was being burnt from the inside out, a delicious shade of desire she had never even known to exist.

He kissed her, hungrily and roughly. Like nothing even mattered, nothing except her and what she was doing with her lips. He kissed down her neck, teasing the one spot under her ear he knew she loved.

All of a sudden, he stopped. Caroline froze, her ragged breath the only sound in the room. His eyes locked on hers, and she could see regret already present.

"But I don't deserve you either."

All of a sudden, he was up out of bed. Briefly looking back at her, he strode out the door. Caroline knew he was most likely going to his brothers room, preferring to spend the night with a practically emotionless vampire rather than having to deal with the aftermath of a mistaken kiss.

She relaxed all of her muscles, letting out a long breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Caroline had just started to feel the white hot pang of rejection when she heard something vibrate from her suitcase.

Crawling over to the overflowing bag, she started searching for her phone. Caroline was surprised. The only person who ever called her was her mother, and it was ten at night in Mystic Falls. Liz would either be on duty, or sleeping off another long shift.

Finally digging her smart phone from an inside pocket, Caroline quickly pressed send to the unfamiliar numbler.

"Hello?"

"Caroline," the voice on the other end of the reciever was one she hadn't heard in a long time. "Hi."

"Bonnie?"

"Yeah," Bonnie said. Caroline could hear her sniffling. "Caroline..."

"Bonnie, what is it? What's wrong?"

"It's your mom, Care... she's... she... I think you should come home."

Caroline looked around her hotel room. In that second, her worst nightmare had come true. Three years ago, Caroline had told Bonnie she would not return back to Mystic Falls unless someone was dead or dying. Bonnie had just scoffed at the time, but took the words to heart.

"I can be home in ten hours." Caroline said, tears already filling her eyes.

"I'll pick you up at the airport."

"Bonnie..." Caroline said, tears escaping her eyes. "Am I too late?"

There was a pause that seemed to last years. Even to a vampire, the second that Bonnie hesitated seemed like too long.

"Yeah, Care. You are."

Caroline hung up the phone, too broken to respond. She didn't stop to think about the Salvatore brothers, or the hybrid who would be furious she left Italy alone. All Caroline could think about in that moment was her mother, her last flesh and blood left on this earth... gone.

Barely stopping to put jeans and shoes on, Caroline ran out of the hotel room. She made it to the nearest airport in less than twenty minutes, and compelled herself a seat on the next flight to Virginia.

It was only when she allowed herself to think about her situation that she broke down. As she sat waiting in the airport, Caroline felt something in the pocket of her sweater. Pulling out the bulky weight, she realized it was Damon's phone.

Caroline put it back into her pocket, not caring that she had just abandoned the two brothers.

She had to get home. She had to go back to the one place she couldn't wait to escape. And this time, Caroline wasn't sure she would get out completely intact.

***

Back in Italy, Damon hadn't slept a wink. He was too consumed with thoughts of the blonde vampire, and how stupid he felt walking away from her.

Getting up from the armchair he had used as a makeshift bed, he stretched his muscles. Stefan was still sleeping in the bed, but Damon knew he would be up in about fifteen minutes anyway. Even as an emotionless vampire, the guys internal clock was impeccable.

Leaving his brother, Damon headed for Caroline's room. He felt like an ass. He had just kissed her then left; no explanation or anything. Damon doubted she would even want to hear his explanation, but he had to at least try.

The second Damon entered her hotel room, he knew something was wrong. There were clothes everywhere; it looked like someone had ripped the room apart. Flashing to the bed, then to the bathroom, Damon slowly realized Caroline was no where to be found.

With his dead heart pounding and his throat constricting, Damon ripped his hands through his hair. With a strangled moan, he collapsed onto the bed.

"Damon?" he heard a voice say from the doorway. He looked up. Stefan was standing there with a confused expression on his face. All of a sudden, fear flooded his eyes.

"She's gone, isn't she?"

"Yeah, Stefan." Damon answered defeatedly.

Stefan stepped over clothes and cosmetics thrown haphazardly around the room, coming to rest next to his brother. Unsure of himself, he put a hand on his brothers shoulder. Damon just sat there, staring off into nothingness.

"You know what we have to do, right?"

"Track her down?"

"We have to call Klaus."

At first, Damon just stared at his brother in shock. But as he thought about it, there was no debate. Klaus was the person who cared about her most in this earth. If anyone could find her... It was him.

"Okay."

***

The next few days were a complete blur. Caroline learned her mother had been in the line of duty, by a man who had been just passing through town. He had robbed a local convenience store, and shot her mother when the police showed up to apprehend him.

As far as Caroline was concerned, the bastard was as good as dead.

Bonnie had been great throughout the entire ordeal. Even though the two girls hadn't seen each other in almost seven years, their friendship was deeper than any separation.

By the time Caroline got to Mystic Falls, a funeral had already been planned. A little more than a week had gone by since Liz had been shot, but with Bonnie in charge of preparations, all other celebrations had been put off in favor of the sheriff's funeral.

So that's why Caroline found herself in a black dress left behind from her high school days, standing in her old bedroom. All of her tears had run dry, instead replaced with a gnawing, aching feeling in her gut. She stared at herself in the mirror, looking her own expressionless eyes.

"Caroline," Bonnie said, poking her head into the bedroom. "We're getting ready to go. Are you ready?"

Caroline forced herself to smile at her oldest best friend. Even though she was a witch, Bonnie couldn't stop the aging process. She had let her hair grow out, and her face had filled out more in the six years Caroline had been gone.

But it was more than that. Bonnie carried herself with a confidence that hadn't been there when Caroline left. She was older, wiser now. Caroline wondered if she would be the same had she been human.

"Yeah Bonnie," Caroline glanced at herself once more in the mirror. This was not the girl who had left Mystic Falls. "I'm ready."

***

"In what world," Klaus said angrily, storming into the brothers hotel room. "Is me telling you to 'keep Caroline safe at all costs' a set up for her getting kidnapped again?"

After much deliberation, Damon and Stefan had agreed it was a better idea for Klaus to come to Italy. With the hybrid in Switzerland, the trip had not been long. And with Klaus' connections, there was a better chance of tracking Caroline down before she even left.

"We don't think she was kidnapped." Damon explained, attempting to calm the hybrid down. "We think she left of her own free will."

"And what makes you think that?"

"Caroline is smart. If she were being taken, she would have alerted us somehow." Stefan interjected.

"Well, why would she leave? Why wasn't there someone in the room watching over her? This was your job! I helped you save your one true love, and you put mine in jeopardy."

Klaus was getting more frustrated by the second. He couldn't believe Damon had screwed this up. Moreover, he couldn't believe his own stupidity. How could he have trusted Damon with this? Klaus regretted leaving Caroline that day. If he could do it again, Klaus would take her with him and never let her leave his side.

"-doesn't mean she's gone forever!" Damon finished. Klaus hadn't heard a word he said, instead fantasizing about shoving a stake through his heart.

"Okay," Klaus said, attempting to calm down. "Did anything happen last night that would cause her to leave?"

Both brothers paused a second too long, each avoiding the hybrid's gaze. Running out of patience, he took matters into his own hands. Grabbing a glass from the table, he threw it against the wall. Glass shattered everywhere, and the brothers were up in an instant.

"Tell me now or you're both dead!"

Damon sighed, but then stepped forward to face the fuming hybrid. "We kissed, okay?"

There was a moment of stunned shock before Klaus had Damon pinned against the wall.

"I thought I told you not to touch her." Klaus growled, constricting the other vampires airways.

"It was a mistake," Damon managed to choke out. "I didn't mean for it to happen."

"Remember what I said would happen if you couldn't control yourself?"

Damon had the good sense to look scared, but only for a moment. Stefan came between them, tearing Klaus' hand from Damon's windpipe. Klaus was just about to screw it and slaughter both of them when he noticed the cell phone in Stefan's hand.

"You two don't have to kill each other yet. Caroline is in Mystic Falls. Bonnie just texted me... She said she called Caroline last night, and that she just picked her up from the airport."

"Why would she go back to Mystic Falls without us? Or at all? She hates that place." Damon asked confusedly, walking as far away from Klaus as he could.

"Liz is dead."

There was a pause. The three vampires knew Caroline and Liz's relationship had never been the best, but they were still family.

"So Caroline is safe?" Klaus asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes. The funeral is in two days, according to Bonnie."

The three men looked at each other despite their previous arguments, they all knew Caroline would be grieving. It would be best to put their differences aside and be there for her.

"One of you call Bonnie and tell her we'll be at the funeral. I'll get my private jet ready." Klaus said, already taking out his phone to make arrangements.

The brothers just stared at him, neither fully understanding how he went from murderous psychopath to control freak in a matter of about six seconds. Maybe he and Caroline were more suited for each other than anyone thought.

As Damon turned away to look for his phone, he caught the hybrids eye.

"Don't think this means I've forgotten about you and Caroline. I _will_ make you suffer."

 _Oh yes,_ Damon thought, grimacing. _They're perfect for each other._

***

At the funeral, Caroline was barely able to keep herself together. Liz was not supposed to die, she didn't deserve it. She was such a good person. Caroline had heard all the condolences she could bear.

As the coffin was lowered into the ground, Caroline finally allowed a tear to escape. Bonnie rubbed her shoulder, worriedly looking at her friend. The two were so caught up in their own grief that neither one of them noticed three late comers join the crowd.

After a short ceremony, the crowd disperesed. Many feared an impending storm, and chose to take shelter in their cars. There was to be a wake at Bonnie's, but Caroline could barely fathom the thought of attending. She stood motionless by her mothers still unfilled grave, staring into the ground.

She hardly noticed the presence of three people next to her until one of them cleared their throat.

"Caroline," she heard. Snapping her head up, Caroline was simultaneously aware of the soft rain that had just begun to fall, and of the three vampires staring at her with mixtures of pain and pity.

"How did you find me?" She asked, lips dry and voice hoarse.

"Bonnie called," Damon answered after a beat. "She told us what happened. We came as soon as we could."

Caroline just nodded, her gaze slipping back down into the grave. She didn't have the energy to care they were there. She barely had the energy to wrap her arms around herself out of instinct because of the cold. She smiled to herself, a smile which turned into a full blown laugh.

Klaus, Damon, and Stefan looked at her as though she were made of glass. None of them could understand what was funny about the situation, and their quizzical looks just caused Caroline to laugh harder.

"I'm not even cold. It's raining and it's April, but... I'm not cold."

"That's because you're a vampire, love." Klaus said gently.

"I know," she said, the smile dropping from her face. Her eyes filled with tears, and they overflowed onto her cheeks almost at once. "I know."

Stefan stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the small vampire. He looked towards Damon and Klaus, nodding his head toward the car. Both nodded, understanding his meaning. Only after they were a safe distance away did Stefan look down at the sobbing girl in his arms.

"Caroline..." He said, locking eyes with the baby vampire. "Turn it off."

"What?" Caroline said, wiping at her eyes and drawing back from her old friend.

"Turn it off. Your emotions. You don't have to feel any of this. You don't have to feel anything _bad_ ever again."

"Why? So I can be like you?"

"No. So you can be like _you_. You're never going to be the same person again. So why even try? Just turn it off, Caroline."

Caroline seemed to deliberate his words for a moment, then shut her eyes tight. When she opened them again, Stefan couldn't find any trace of emotion. She had finally given herself over to her vampire side, succumbing to the allure of heartlessness.

***

When Damon and Klaus returned with the car, Damon knew right away something was wrong. It was like that moment two days ago when he entered Caroline's room. Something was not right.

As they drew closed, Damon begged to whatever God that actually existed that his instincts were wrong.

"Brother," Damon said slowly, looking from Stefan to Caroline. "What did you do?"

"You know Damon..." Stefan answered, walking slowly towards the duo. "I knew one day I'd be able to repay you for taking Elena away from me. I just never knew it would be this soon." He stopped in front of Damon, staring him straight in the eye. "Revenge _is_ sweet, isn't it?"

"What. Did. You. Do?" Klaus growled, taking Stefan by the throat.

"It's nothing she didn't want in the first place." Stefan managed to answer, a sick smirk playing on his lips. "Isn't that what you said to me when Elena wouldn't drink Klaus' blood, Damon?"

Damon just stared at his brother in horror. Klaus had had enough, and snapped Stefan's neck out of pure fury. Flashing over to Caroline, Klaus grabbed her by the upper arms, forcing her to meet his eyes.

There was nothing in them but unshed tears. No pain, no fear. No hope. Nothing. Just the dead eyes of a dead girl.

The Caroline they knew was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

It felt as though Klaus' entire world had imploded. Eveything he had done to keep this girl safe, all the hoops he had jumped through to ensure her safety... It was all for nothing. All he had to do was look into her cold, heartless eyes to remember he had once again failed her.

He and Damon were still standing in the middle of the cemetary staring at her like fools. Neither had said a word since Klaus broke Stefan's neck, instead too focused on Caroline.

"What are you waiting for?" Damon asked, his voice at a higher octave than usual. "Compel her! Make her turn her emotions back on!"

And that was the kicker in this situation, the icing on the proverbial cake of Caroline Forbes and her destiny of misery.

"I can't." Klaus said slowly, looking from Caroline to Damon.

"What do you mean you can't? You're an Original! Of course you can!"

"No, I can't!" Klaus yelled, clawing his hands through his hair. His undead heart felt like it was about to burst, a feeling he hadn't felt since Kol was staked and taken from him. "About three years ago, I found an extremely powerful witch. She put a spell on Caroline to prevent her from ever being compelled... From ever being robbed of her free will ever again. No one can compel her. Not even me."

It took a few moments for Klaus' words to fully sink in. But when they did, all the fight seemed to leave Damon. His shoulders sank, and his breathing grew erratic.

"So that's it then? She's just... Done for?"

"No!" Klaus practically yelled. "She's not. We'll fix this. I'll find the witch in New Orleans, I can have the spell reversed."

Damon nodded, a new hope restored in him. Both men were so caught up in their plans to bring the Old Caroline back that they hadn't even noticed the object of their affections begin to move.

"Well isn't this great," she snarled, walking between the two of them. "One man who loves me too much, and one man looking for a replacement for a girl who would never truly love him back."

She stopped when she came to Stefan, who laid motionless on the wet grass. His neck was still broken, though by vampire standards it should have already healed.

"You know," she mused, meeting Klaus' eyes. "I can see the appeal of not feeling anything. You just don't... Care anymore." With a smirk, she flashed away, leaving the two stunned vampires in her wake.

***

"What are we going to do?" Damon hissed, stuffing Stefan into the trunk of the car. His brothers head smacked sickeningly against the edge of the bumper, lolling gruesomely to one side. Damon couldn't bring himself to be gentle, furious at him. He took one more hateful look at his traitor brother and slammed the trunk, flashing immediately to the passenger door.

Klaus remained silent, pressing the gas to the floor. A million thoughts were rushing through his head at once, the most prominent of which involving staking the youngest Salvatore.

"I hope you know," He growled, taking Wickery Bridge at almost 75. "This is all your fault."

"My fault?! You were the one who made me come babysit her in the first place! None of this would have happened if you had just let her be!"

"She would have gotten killed!"

"Oh, and having her humanity off is such a happier ending!"

Both men were breathing deeply, refusing to look at each other. Both knew that they were each at least partially responsible.

"Look," Damon said, breaking the tense silence. "If we really want to fix this, we're going to have to work together. We can't constantly be at each other's throats."

Damon took Klaus' silence as an agreement.

"We need a game plan. And fast."

Klaus was driving less erratically now, even going so far as to slow down for a pedestrian. He made no sign that he had even heard Damon, apart from tightening his hands on the steering wheel. His knuckles looked white as snow, strained veins pumping useless blood to his dead heart.

"We need a plan, Klaus!" Damon yelled, getting sick of the hybrid's unresponsiveness. He may be the oldest creature in the world, but damn he could get broody.

"Then think of one! Isn't that what you and the scooby gang did the entire time I was in Mystic Falls? Make plans to kill and dessicate my entire family?"

Damon just gaped at Klaus. He _would_ bring up their hare-brained schemes in a time of crisis.

"What does that have to do with this!?" Damon shouted, throwing his hands in the air. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this angry, this emotional.

"It has everything to do with this!" Klaus yelled back, swerving the car onto a forgotten dirt road. He put it in park and turned in his seat, fully facing Damon now. His eyes blazed golden, and Damon would have been frightened if he even gave a shit anymore.

"Yeah, you're right! It does, because we were trying to kill _you!_ The blame always comes back around to you Klaus, doesn't it? Maybe Caroline wouldn't even be in this situation if you hadn't slept with that werewolf slut, forced her to _flee_ her hometown, and then enlist me as her babysitter! Ever think of that?"

For a second, Damon really did think Klaus was going to kill him. He would swear for the next eternity that Klaus' hand had been centimeters away from his heart, just waiting to tear into his chest and rip out the organ for good.

But instead of ripping into his flesh, Klaus restrained himself and grabbed Damon's dress shirt.

"Plan," Klaus growled. "Now."

Damon pulled himself out of Klaus' grasp, his mind whirring a million miles a minute. He had no idea how the two of them were going to bring Caroline back. He had failed with Stefan; why should Caroline be any different? The heavy weight of panic had just begun to settle on the small of his back when he turned to Klaus, almost ready to give up hope.

The look on the Hybrid's face was enough to restore Damon's faith in possibility, enough to take the crushing weight off of his back and finally begin to breathe correctly again for the first time since he discovered Caroline missing.

"Mate," Klaus said, practically beaming. "How do you feel about New Orleans?"

***

Caroline was bored. No, she had surpassed bored ten minutes ago. Right now, she was _hungry._ After running away from Klaus and Damon almost an hour ago, she had headed straight for the woods. Even though she knew they would be after her ( _yawn, major eye roll_ ), she didn't care.

Brushing off her black mourning dress, Caroline sighed dramatically. If she wanted to avoid Damon and Klaus, then she would have to get the hell out of Mystic Falls pretty quickly.

Considering her options, Caroline walked idly along a well worn path in the woods. Recognizing the area as the land behind the Lockwood property, a thought suddenly occurred to her.

Why should she run from Damon and Klaus? They wouldn't dare hurt her. Damon was half in love with her ( _ew_ ) and Klaus was a fool who put her on a proverbial pedestal, practically worshipping just the thought of her over the past six years ( _creepy_ ). Who was to say she couldn't just pull an Elena and have a little fun with both?

A plan began to form in the smirking blondes head. And that plan started at her Mother's wake, where practically the entire town was gathered to mourn. Hitching up her skirt, Caroline ran like a true vampire, stretching her muscles like they hadn't been stretched in years.

***

Even though the Lockwood property was technically still privately owned, no one in town had seen or heard from Tyler in almost 4 years. He had left not long after Caroline, according to Bonnie he was in California some where.

Because of this, the Lockwood mansion was practically deserted. But the town still used it every now and then, in times of mourning or happiness. Because of the tragedy of her mother's death, this forgotten town landmark was where Liz's wake was being held. Caroline couldn't fail to see the irony in this; a lonely place for a lonely heart.

Looking up at the looming structure, Caroline could only feel a vague, light feeling of boredom. She knew what she had to do, but the tediousness of the action was getting to her.

Practically strutting in the door of the long forgotten mansion, Caroline's senses were immediately accosted with grief.

Wrinkling her nose, the vampire looked around her. Grief was such a penniless, unfair emotion. It took all you had, draining you of any semblance of happiness and replaced every cell of your body with a cold, metallic hopelessness. Even though the grief wasn't hers, Caroline could still feel it's palpable tension in the air.

Looking around her, she was struck with how fake this entire thing was. In the corner, a man was streaming a baseball game on his iPhone. In the kitchen, housewives were gossipping over the latest scandal. Even though she wasn't capable of caring, she knew that the old her would have been enraged.

Smirking to herself, Caroline looked around for Bonnie. Attuning her ears to hear her old friend, she idly checked her manicure. Glaring at anyone who tried to approach her, she finally heard Bonnie in the office. Slipping through the door, she was faced with another mob of people.

"Out," she said forcefully. The chatter quieted down, and every face in the room turned towards the blonde. She raised her eyebrows and gestured toward the door, signalling their dismissal.

Most of the guests made their way out of the room, heads low and muttering about how grief affects different people. By definition of her nature, Caroline didn't care. These people were nothing. Unless she wanted a snack before she left town, in which case they may have a use.

Soon, it was just she and Bonnie left in the room.

"Caroline," Bonnie said, rising from her seat behind the desk. "What was that about?"

Caroline didn't answer, just let Bonnie draw closer to her. Her old friends eyebrows were furrowed in concern, with a slight twinge of panic in the creases of her eyes. Caroline knew what she was feeling, years of friendship had taught her to read Bonnie like a book.

"Oh no," Bonnie said, looking into Caroline's eyes. "Oh no. Caroline... you didn't."

There was a closedness there that she hadn't seen since Stefan and his Ripper days. A void of nothing, just a blank, coldly calculating stare. It was something Elena had once dubbed the 'Ripper Stare.' And it terrified Bonnie.

Caroline smiled maliciously, taking an odd pleasure in her friends terror. "Oh, but I did."

She moved so fast Bonnie didn't even see her coming. Pinning her up against the wall, Caroline firmly grasped her friends upper arms.

"Now, I know for a fact you're in the Salvatore brothers back pocket. Who else would have told them I was in Mystic Falls?"

Caroline paused for a moment, as if expecting an answer. Bonnie just glared. Her first instinct had been to give Caroline her signature brain aneurysm, but she found she just couldn't subject her oldest friend to that kind of torture.

"But anyway," Caroline continued, tightening her grip. "I need a witches assistance. And since you're the only one available, you'll have to do."

A split second later, Caroline was doubled over in pain. Screaming from pure agony, she was barely able to look up at Bonnie, who was now standing defensively over her.

"You're not Caroline right now. I don't want anything to do with you."

"Bonnie?" They both heard a voice from the door. Jeremy Gilbert stood there, a confused look on his face. In the six years since she had seen him, the youngest Gilbert had flourished. Gone was the babyish, younger brother of Elena. In his place, there was now a strong, independent young man. He had broadened in the shoulders, becoming more muscular and angular. His face was more pointed and strong now, losing the baby fat that had still remained six years ago.

Caroline had heard around town that Jeremy was her mother's most trusted deputy. As her right hand man and a founding family member, he was expected to fall into the position of sheriff. At only 23 years old, it was an odd job for a young adult to take. But being trained by her mother, he was the best candidate for the job.

"What's going on in here?" He asked, immediately stiffening up and closing the door.

In a flash, Caroline had him in a chokehold, almost strangling him. Despite his knowledge of vampires and the supernatural, he hadn't brought any vervain darts to what he had assumed to be a peaceful mourning. But he hadn't been aware that Caroline had come undone.

Gripping his neck, Caroline smirked over at Bonnie, who was looking on the scene with terror.

"I've heard from a little birdie that you two have rekindled your awkward high school romance. Awesome." Caroline paused, curling her fingers more tightly around the young Gilbert's neck. He was strong, but no match for her vampire strength. This action seemed to snap Bonnie out of her trance, narrowing her eyes at the blonde.

"What do you want?"

"A spell."

Bonnie glanced at Jeremy, who was struggling for breath.

"Let him go and I'll do whatever you want."

"Unfortunately, I don't believe you."

Caroline seemed to read the witches mind before she could even carry out an action. She laughed humorlessly. "Give me one of those witchy aneurysm thingys and I'll snap his neck right here and now. In fact..."

Loosening her grip, Caroline spun the Gilbert around to face her. Studying his face for a few moments, she suddenly bit into her own wrist. Forcing him to drink her blood, she vaguely heard Bonnie's scream of horror from behind her.

Once he had ingested enough of her blood, Caroline threw him to the ground. He immediately scrambled up, moving in front of Bonnie to try and protect her. Caroline only watched with mirth in her eyes, wondering how after everything they had been though together, Jeremy could still think Bonnie needed his protection.

"Now I have leverage. Do what I want or I'll turn your little boyfriend into the thing you hate the most in this world."

"Bonnie..." Jeremy said, spinning around to grip her shoulders. "Don't do it. She wouldn't."

"Wanna bet?" Caroline said, raising an eyebrow.

Bonnie and Jeremy seemed to be having a silent conversation, the only kind that can occur between lovers. She had never experienced it herself, but had been around enough love-sick, sickly sweet couples to know when it was happening.

Bonnie slowly broke her boyfriend's gaze and locked eyes with Caroline. The blonde knew she had won when her old friends eyes narrowed in her direction. She was no Damon; she wouldn't try to bring her back.

"What do you want me to do?" Bonnie repeated, using the voice Caroline had heard her use a million times to address the enemy.

"I need to disappear."

***

"So let me get this straight," Damon said slowly. "You want to take Caroline to New Orleans with us?"

The two men were standing in the remnants of Caroline's childhood room. Despite her being gone for nearly seven years, everything had been practically untouched. Klaus had insisted they check her old house, just to make sure Caroline hadn't pulled an Elena and burnt it to the ground.

"Yes. What place is safer for her than with us?"

"But how long do you think it'll take to get that witch to lift the anti-compulsion spell?"

Klaus' eyes flashed to Damon, narrowing. "If I have my way, no time at all."

Damon only nodded. He picked up a photo of Caroline, Elena and Bonnie from their pre-school days. All three girls were covered in what looked like mud, smiling brightly at the camera. Their arms were around each other, intertwined like their bond could never be broken. He gently replaced the frame on the nightstand, looking up to see Klaus staring at it thoughtfully.

"Why did you do it?" Damon suddenly blurted out. "Make the witch put the spell on her. It's... not like you."

Klaus sighed, sitting on Caroline's bed. For the first time, Damon was struck with how old the Original really was. He had survived more than a thousand years, and this one baby vampire had mangaed to turn his entire world upside down.

"I wanted to protect her. I wanted to make sure she always had her free will. I didn't... I didn't want her to think that I was just using her, if she ever came to me."

Damon was speechless. This was perhaps the most personal thing Klaus had ever shared with him. He knew that the two hadn't had the best relationship when they were in Mystic Falls, hell, Caroline had even left because of him.

But that didn't change the fact that even after all these years, Klaus still cared for her wellbeing. He was immediately reminded of his statement before they had kissed. Klaus didn't deserve her... But he was always working harder to be the type of man who did.

"I know you love her too." Klaus' words snapped Damon out of his thoughts. "And I know that she must have some kind of feelings for you if she didn't end up staking you when you kissed her."

Damon shuddered, unhappy of the reminder. Even though Caroline had kissed him back, he couldn't help but feel that it had only been in the heat of the moment. There was still so much unfinished business between them... And the only way to resolve it was to get her back.

"I don't claim to like it," Klaus continued. "In fact, it repulses me. And I will fight for her until the very end. But until she is able to make a conscious decision as... as _our_ Caroline, I'm willing to be civil. For her sake."

It took Damon a moment to realize what Klaus was really saying. Even though it was also a dig at his relationship with the blonde, Damon was able to see the olive branch for what it truly was- a condition. Unless he agreed to be tolerant of the Hybrid for Caroline's sake, the two were most likely just going to disappear and leave him behind. Even though he couldn't stand the thought of the two of them together, he would have to make allowances for thhe sake of the blonde.

"Alright," Damon agreed, folding his arms across his chest. "I guess that'll work."

The two men shook hands, each silently thinking of ways to bring Caroline back to them. They were each so caught up in their own thoughts that neither noticed a slinking figure outside of the window, catching the shadows and seeming to melt away.

***

"You want me to do _what?_ " Bonnie cried, staring at Caroline incredulously.

"Come on, it's really not that hard. I just need to disappear for a while. Just from Damon and Klaus. I need to be untrackable, untraceable. You know how they are, they're creepy. There's no possible way I can live my life with them constantly following me."

Caroline, Bonnie, and Jeremy had relocated to the old witches house in the woods. Despite Bonnie's insistence that he stay at the Lockwoods and make sure the party disperse properly, Jeremy had tagged along with them.

"Just like when we were in high school."

Caroline thought, observing the couple perusing the grimoires. They had always been an endgame. She had known it from the moment his creepy obsession had started.

"By untraceable... What exactly do you mean?"

Caroline sighed in frustration. "God Bonnie, you've always been the slow one. They're going to try and find me once I get out of here. I can't let that happen. So I need to disappear. Untraceable by witches, wizards, warlocks, and whatever the hell it is that come next."

"So you need me to do a blood curdling spell."

"Whatever. Yeah. Is that gonna make Klaus not be able to find me?"

"Well..." Bonnie trailed off, not meeting her eyes. "Yes. Witches won't be able to find you with a locator spell. But..."

"But what?"

"But Klaus is always going to be able to find you. There's no running from him. Katherine tried for 400 years, and he was still able to find her eventually."

Caroline rolled her eyes, watching her former friends clutch the spellbook. "Leave that to me. I know how to stay hidden, I've done it for six years. I only want them to find me if I want them to."

"This spell... It's irreversible. There's no going back. Are you sure this is what you really want?"

"God Bonnie, for once in your life will you just do something without a million disclaimers and warnings? I'm a big girl. I can make my own choices."

Bonnie's eyes flashed, and Caroline knew she had gotten under her skin. Jeremy's eyes continued to narrow at her, and she knew if she had not threatened his life, he would be on the verge of killing her by now.

"Just do the spell!" Caroline yelled impatiently.

"Fine." Bonnie said, setting the grimoire down on the floor. "I'll need some of your blood first."

Caroline rolled her eyes, but pushed her fangs into her wrist all the same. After dispensing a few drops of blood onto the paper Bonnie had in front of her, the witch seemed to go into a trance.

The blonde was immediately reminded of all the other times she had done magic in front of her. After reciting some long dead Latin words and a few flames elongating, she noticed the blood she had just shed was beginning to blacken and smolder, eventually lighting the paper on fire. Once Bonnie reached the climax of her spell, the entire paper burst into flames, causing a long forgotten Jeremy to yell.

By the time the flames had burnt out, Bonnie was back to her old self. Jeremy immediately started examining her, asking if she was alright. But the witch had eyes for only Caroline.

"That's it. You're untraceable."

Caroline smiled sweetly, stalking toward the two like a lion towards its prey.

"Thank you, Bonnie. I know Damon and Klaus will be hearing about this soon, so I'll take my leave now. But there's just one more thing..."

In a split second, Caroline had a hold of Jeremy. She snapped his neck without a struggle, her movements to quick for the human eye. All Bonnie could do was watch in horror as her former best friend killed the last remaining piece of her old life.

"That's for not telling me about Elena. I hope he chooses to die, just so you'll have to live in misery with what you've caused."

Caroline had spun on her heel, leaving the witches house before Bonnie could even start screaming. By the time the first tears had started, the blonde was already half way out of the forest.

***

When Caroline reached the edge of the forest, she immediately felt a presence behind her. Whirling around, she pushed her would be attacker into a tree.

"Stefan?" she said, retracting her vampire fangs. Loosening her grip, she let the older vampire down from the tree trunk.

"I was right. Your reflexes _have_ gotten better."

If Caroline had been herself, she would be beaming. However, she could only force herself to compose her face into a look of boredom.

"What do you want?" She asked, walking away.

"How do you feel about California?"

Caroline stopped, turning her head to appraise her old friend. Both of their emotions were off. Neither wanted anything more but a familiar face and a travel companion. For the first time in the past 24 hours, Caroline allowed herself a true smile.

"It sounds perfect."

Making eye contact with her old friend, Stefan just smirked back. Both walked on, already forgetting the tragedy they were leaving behind.


	8. Chapter 8

Sunlight was just beginning to peek over the crest of the hill, illuminating the lush green grass. A sleek, black car sped down the road, tires crunching the gravel endlessly. Going at least twice the speed limit, the drivers eyes never wavered from the road.

Inside the car, Caroline was beginning to feel the gnawing ache of hunger in her gums. Sighing loudly, she glanced over at Stefan to see if her discomfort had any effect on him. He merely stared through the windshield, imperious.

Crossing her arms, Caroline slumped down in her seat and looked out the window. The landscape was desolate, but beautiful. Attuning her ears to the environment, she could hear heartbeats faintly pounding a few miles away. The young vampires mouth watered at the thought of blood, and she turned her full body to face Stefan.

"I'm hungry."

"Sucks."

"Do you want me to dessicate?"

Stefan didn't answer, just smirked and increased the speed. Caroline sighed loudly, crossing her arms and sinking poutily into the seat. Two feet away from her, Stefan answered her sigh with one of his own. She refused to look at him, staring instead out the window.

"Caroline." he said firmly. She still didn't look up, instead gazing at the passing trees and grass. All of a sudden, the brakes screeched and dust came hurling up from under the tires. The car's shiny black paint job was now marred with fine grains of dirt, a covering of grimy dust.

All of a sudden, the blonde felt a hand on her chin. Stefan placed his nose barely an eyelash length away from Caroline, roughly pushing her face towards his.

"We stop when I want to stop. You seem to forget that I'm not Klaus or Damon; I won't put up with your childish behavior. Now either shut up and enjoy the rest of the drive, or get out and hitch your own ride to California."

Caroline pulled her chin forcefully out of the other vampires grasp. With a murderous look, she found herself more and more inclined to take the second option. But Stefan had already put the car back in drive and sped away, churning up another cloud of dust in their wake.

"Look," she said after a few moments. "I came with you because I thought it would be fun. I figured we would be going to the beach, compelling ourselves a few meals. You know, _fun stuff._ But instead, I've been stuck with you for the last three days while we drive across the country. This isn't exactly what I signed up for."

"Then why did you come?"

"I just told you, I thought it would be fun. Causing trouble and partaking in a few bloodbaths with an old friend. But if you're going to be this bitchy, PMS-ing version of yourself, then just drop me off right here."

Stefan chuckled to himself, finally dropping the scowl that had taken up permanent residence on his face for the last three days. Caroline knew he could get extra broody, but this car ride had been nothing but long silences and boring highways. She was ready to tear out a few throats, stretch her legs.

"Oh shut up, Caroline." Stefan said, almost affectionately. "We're almost there. Only about two more hours. Then you can eat as many natives as you want."

This news made the blonde perk up. As long as their destination was in sight, she could handle her old friend.

"I just have one question." Caroline said, turning her body towards Stefan. He groaned, throwing back his head and tightening his hands on the steering wheel. Their first day on the road, Caroline had practically driven him crazy with all of her unnecessary questions. Ranging from where he had gone after Mystic Falls to where in California they were going, nothing seemed to be off limits. There was only one subject she hadn't touched; Elena. She knew it was still a sore topic for both of them, and had therefore said nothing.

"Fine," He grumbled, passing a car at almost double the speed limit. "What is it?"

"Why California?"

He sighed. It seemed like a question he didn't want to answer, but Caroline knew that he would have to tell her eventually.

"There's just... Just something I really need to do." He said carefully, avoiding her eyes.

"Like...?"

"What the hell did I just say?" Stefan said forcefully, increasing his speed. "Shut up, and sit back. I don't want to hear another word until we cross the state border."

Caroline crossed her arms again, pouting. But it was really only a show for Stefan's sake. Despite not being able to feel emotion, she knew logically she _should_ feel excited. So she was content to ride on that knowledge until they crossed the California border.

***

Only seconds after agreeing to work with Damon for Caroline's sake, Klaus had gotten a call from a hysterical Bonnie. It only took the two vampires a short while to figure out what had happened.

After practically heimliching her location from Bonnie, the two men went to the old witches house in the woods. The spirits of the dead witches seemed to have gotten over their old hatred, because Damon and Klaus were able to get in with no problem. But what they found there stopped both of them dead in their tracks.

The house was trashed. Postively, absolutely destroyed. It seemed that after Caroline killed Jeremy, Bonnie had gone on a rampage, using her powers to take out her frustration on the blonde.

Tables and chairs were destroyed past any recognition, fires had been started all over the house. Doors were off their hinges, and multiple walls looked as though they had been hit with a hammer.

In the middle of it all they found Bonnie. She had long since stopped her destruction, instead sitting on the floor staring blankly at a wall.

"Bonnie?" Damon said, the first to come to his senses. "What happened?"

"She killed him." Bonnie answered, not looking at either of them.

"Who?"

"Jeremy. She... She killed Jeremy! She fed him her blood... and then snapped his neck."

Damon glanced at Klaus, worry for the blonde overflowing his expression. If the witch could do this kind of destruction to a house... What could she do to Caroline?

"Don't worry," the witch said, laughing humorlessly when she saw the look on Damon's face. "I didn't kill her. But I wish I had."

Klaus growled. "Be careful what you say, witch."

Bonnie's eyes flashed, and all of a sudden, Klaus felt the power of a thousand dead witches intent on his pain. He sank to his knees, roaring with pain.

"She killed the love of my life! I'm not afraid of you Klaus, not after what I've been through. That bitch doesn't deserve mercy, she doesn't deserve kindness. I hope for her sake she skipped town, because I swear if I ever see her again... I won't hesitate to kill her."

"Bonnie!" Damon yelled, taking a hold of her upper arms. Bonnie looked up from Klaus' writhing form on the floor, breaking his pain. "Where is Caroline?"

"Why the hell should I tell you that? She's done nothing but cause me pain since she's come back to Mystic Falls! I want nothing to do with her."

Klaus pulled himself off of the floor, lunging for the witch. Damon let go of Bonnie, fighting to subdue the Hybrid.

"If you don't tell us where she is, witch," Klaus said from behind Damon. "I will kill your boyfriend for the _second time_ and be done with it!"

In an instant, both vampires were subdued and howling on the floor. Bonnie stood over them, rage and hatred blazing in her eyes.

"I'm not telling you anything. I don't even know where she went. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. She's not the person I knew, she's given herself over to the darkside!"

"She's your best friend!" Damon managed to get out, looking up at the witch. "You need to help us!"

"I don't need to do anything!" Bonnie screamed. "I told you I don't know anything. Now get out. Leave Mystic Falls. And never come back. Or I swear to God, I will find a way to kill _all_ of you."

That had been three days ago.

Klaus and Damon had thought it best to leave, trying to pick up Caroline's scent before they left Virginia. They found nothing, no sign of the blonde at all.

The two men had stuck around long enough to compel Bonnie, who truly had no clue as to where Caroline had gone.

Pacing in a hotel room in Richmond, Klaus was just about ready to find a white oak tree to stake himself and be done with it. They were no closer to finding Caroline than they were in Mystic Falls, and their trail had gone stone cold. Tensions were high, and neither vampire were interested in dealing with the other.

"What are we going to do?" Klaus roared, practically ripping his hair out. Damon sat in a chair, with his head in his hands. Scrubbing his eyes with his palms, Damon looked up at the Hybrid. There was no hope in his eyes, just a distinct acceptance of the inevitable.

"What can we do that hasn't already been done? There's only so much compulsion and threatening we can do!"

Klaus just gaped at the younger vampire. "You cannot be serious."

"She doesn't want to be found, Klaus! So maybe we should stop looking."

Both were silent for a long time. Damon had just started to think that Klaus was just going to be done with it and stake him when the Hybrid's eyes lit up.

"We can trace her."

"What?" Damon said. Klaus was already digging in his pocket, looking for his phone.

"A witch. A witch can trace her. The same witch that can remove the anti-compulsion spell."

Almost immediately, Damon felt a seed of hope begin to unfurl in his chest. These past three days had been stressful, and tension filled. Neither had even considered the possibility of a witches help, as the only one who knew Caroline personally had wished death upon her.

"Claudia..." Damon heard Klaus say into the receiver of his phone. "I need a favor. I'll be in New Orleans in 16 hours. Be ready."

He hung up the phone, almost running through the door of their hotel room. Damon had no choice but to follow, pursuing the man who was so intent on saving a lost cause.

***

The second they crossed the city limits into Los Angeles, Caroline could feel Stefan relax. The air in the car was no longer thick with tension, just filled with the warm, California sun.

She looked over at her old friend and smiled, taking in the sight of the ocean behind him. California was beautiful, more beautiful than some of the other places around the world she had been. It was nice to be back in the United States, with American people and a plentiful supply of blood.

"Where are we going first?" Caroline asked Stefan, taking in the crowded sidewalk.

"A club in Santa Monica." Stefan answered, not taking his eyes off the road.

"A club? You don't exactly strike me as the booty grinding type, Stef."

"Well..." He said, pulling up to their 5-star hotel and getting out to hand the keys to the valet. "When in LA, I guess."

Almost an hour later, both Stefan and Caroline had made their way into a crowded nightclub. Despite their arrival to California, Stefan had grown increasingly more snippy. Eager to get away from him and quench her thirst, Caroline immediately made her way to the middle of the dance floor.

Within minutes, Caroline had lost herself in the music. She had always loved dancing, and had single-handedly organized most high school dances in her high school career. The lights, her good looks, and the music all combined to make her the flame, with every single male in the building acting as a moth.

Taking the hand of one of the many men dancing around her, Caroline drew him away from the crowd. Ignoring the hoots and catcalls from his friends, she pulled the nameless boy into an alley.

Pressing him into the wall, Caroline compelled the boy to stay quiet. The confused look on his face quickly changed to one of pain as the blonde sank her fangs into his neck. She had just begun drinking his sweet, warm blood when the door of the club banged open.

"There you are," she heard a voice growl. "Come on. We're leaving."

Stefan barely glanced at her prey of choice before pulling Caroline away. Stopping for a moment, he thought of something.

Snapping the neck of the boy, he let the body drop to the ground. Caroline looked up at him with blood trickling down her chin, furious.

"What the hell, Stefan? The least you could have done was let me finish my dinner!"

Stefan barely spared her a withering look before spinning on his heel, going back through the door and into the crowded club. Caroline had no choice but to run after him, almost tripping in her sky high heels.

Once they had passed through the club and were on the sidewalk once more, Caroline caught up to him.

"Stefan!" She yelled, grabbing his arm and spinning him around. "What is your problem? I wasn't ready to leave! I was having a good time!"

"I don't care. We're leaving." He shook off her hand, reaching for the keys in his pocket.

"But I want to stay!"

"I don't care. I'm practically saving you, anyway. No respectable man would ever take you seriously in that stripper dress and 'come fuck me' heels."

Caroline's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe what he had just said. Stefan just looked at her reproachfully, slamming the driver-side door. A second later, the expensive sports car roared to life. He revved the engine, a clear warning to get in the car, or else. Caroline just crossed her arms, staring stubbornly into the tinted window.

The window rolled down, revealing a murderous Stefan. "Get in the fucking car, Caroline."

"No! Not until you tell me what the hell is going on!"

He sighed, all of the fight seeming to leave him. For the first time, Caroline could truly see how old he was.

"Just get in."

Caroline still stared at him reproachfully, raising her eyebrows.

"Please Caroline? I'll explain everything when we get back to the hotel. I promise."

Caroline knew she shouldn't take the word of a bloodthirsty vampire with his emotions turned off, but one look into his eyes and she knew Stefan was telling the truth. There was more to this entire roadtrip than what met the eye... And she was determined to find out.

***

The second they stepped into their luxurious hotel room, Caroline spun around to face her silent companion.

"Okay," she said, crossing her arms. "What the hell was that?"

Stefan just sighed, rubbing his eyes and sinking on the bed. Caroline made her way over to her suitcase, wriggling out of her dress. She and Stefan had been friends long enough for him to see her in her underwear, and she no longer even cared.

"First ask me why we're in California."

"I asked you that in the car. You wouldn't answer me."

"Just ask me again, Caroline." Stefan said, an edge of irritation in her voice.

After she pulled in a hoodie and sweatpants, she climbed into her own bed. Closing her eyes, she relaxed.

"Fine. Why are we in California?"

"Because I'm looking for Rebekah."

Those five words were all it took for Caroline to tense up again. Even though her emotions were turned off and she couldn't technically feel fear or panic, she knew that those emotions would both be viable in this situation. However, she decided to be smart about this.

"Okay." She said, closing her eyes.

"Okay?" Stefan asked, gaping at the blonde.

"Yeah, okay. I don't care. You can go off and be with your Original girlfriend."

Stefan couldn't believe it. He had spent all this time and energy hiding his true intentions from Caroline, when she really didn't care at all. He should have seen this coming when she turned her emotions off, but his focus hadn't been on her at the time.

"But," Caroline asked from underneath the covers. "Why did we go to that club? Did you think she would be there?"

"Yeah... A guy I know told me she goes there a lot."

"Well don't worry," Carline said, yawning. "You'll find her.

"Yeah..." Stefan said to a now snoring Caroline. He gazed wistfully at the wall, letting all of the tension of the last few days leave his system. "I hope so."

***

16 hours and a lot of compulsion out of traffic tickets later, Damon and Klaus made their way into a grimy corner of New Orleans. Dirt and dust seemed to penetrate every inch of the dark street, and loud shouts were heard coming from every direction. Klaus didn't seem to care, his focus on a dark door tucked away between a bar and a strip club.

Both men slipped into a dark hallway, striding through another set of doors into a small, darkly lit room.

The room was exactly how Klaus remembered from almost three years ago, when he came to the same witch to have the anti-compulsion spell placed on Caroline. There was a wall entirely dedicated to grimoires, and another with shelves full of spices and herbs. It was a witches sanctuary.

"Klaus," A displeased voice said from a dark corner. Stepping into the light, a tall woman with dark colored skin became visible. She was beautiful, with black hair and warm, brown eyes. Eyes that were wearily trained on Klaus. "I can't say it's a surprise. Or a pleasure. What can I do for you?"

Klaus just smiled. He had known Claudia for years, and she was one of the best witches in New Orleans. She had know he would be back for her services eventually.

"Claudia, I'd like to introduce-"

"I know who he is. Damon Salvatore. You killed Bree, right?"

Damon felt uncomfortable. He knew of this witches powers, and killing her wasn't an option. They both knew how much they needed her for Caroline's sake. All of a sudden, Claudia's face split into a warm smile.

"No hard feelings. She was a right bitch when she wanted to be. I'd been looking for a way to kill her myself for years. Now Klaus, what can I do for you?

"I need a tracer spell. And then I need that anti-compulsion spell I had you perform to be removed."

Claudia laughed, raising her eyebrows. "Is that baby vampire giving you more trouble, Klaus? I'd like to meet the girl who's got the Original Hybrid himself in such a fluster."

Klaus said nothing, just glared at Claudia. She merely rolled her eyes, moving around the room fluidly to collect the herbs needed for her spell. She placed them on a table in front of her, along with a pin and map of the world.

"Unfortunately," she said, flipping through a grimoire. "I'll need the girl here to break the anit-compulsion spell. So we'll have to find her regardless."

Finding the spell she needed, Claudia glanced up.

"You wouldn't happen to have a personal artifact, would you?"

Klaus shook his head. Looking to Damon, he raised his eyebrows. Damon slowly nodded, pulling the picture of Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline that had been in her room from his jacket pocket. Handing it to Claudia, Damon avoided Klaus' eye. He could practically feel the Hybrid burning a hole in his skull.

"The blonde? You always did like the ditzy type, Klaus..."

Klaus just growled, narrowing his eyes. Claudia took the hint, beginning to chant and sprinkle various herbs over the picture. A pin on the map in front of her began to quake, moving slightly. Her frown deepened.

"It's not working..." she muttered, tightening her eyes.

"What?" Klaus said impatiently.

"The spell... It's not working. Did she have any contact with a witch before you lost her?"

There was a silence in which Damon and Klaus both cursed Bonnie's existence. Claudia's eyes popped open, surveying both of their expressions.

"I'm assuming that's a yes."

"Is there any other way to locate her?" Damon asked, glaring a Klaus and silently telling him not to rip the witches throat out.

"Unfortunately, no. If an untraceable spell has been placed, it can't be removed of over-ridden. It's impossible. Is she with someone I could trace?"

Klaus thought for a moment. Stefan and Caroline had seemed very close... And both had their emotions turned off. Both vampires had wanted to go to California, and it was Stefan who forced Caroline to turn her emotions off in the first place. If he really wanted to get back at his brother for taking Elena from him, then it would make the most logical sense for Stefan to take Caroline with him.

"Try tracking Stefan Salvatore." Klaus said, earning a confused look from Damon.

"No personal artifact, I'm assuming?"

Both men shook their heads. Claudia sighed, closing her eyes again.

"That's fine. I can do without, but I won't be able to give you an exact location."

She began chanting once more, but this time the lights flickered and dimmed. There was a viable energy in the air. The pin on the map zipped over to California, planting itself firmly in the Los Angeles area.

Claudia opened her eyes and immediately looked down.

"Well, there you are. Stefan is somewhere in Los Angeles. I can't give you a street address because of the lack of personal articact... but it's a start."

Both men were practically jumping for joy. After so many dead ends, a concrete location was known.

"Thank you, Claudia." Klaus said, a real grin stretched across his face. "We'll go collect the girl and bring her back here within a week."

"I'll be waiting." Claudia said, already putting her herbs away. She looked drained, as if the spell took a lot out of her. But neither had any time to register this, as both took off at vampire speed, ready to bring Caroline home.

***

The next day in California, neither Caroline or Stefan felt like being cooped up in their hotel room. Both of them wanted to go to the beach, and enjoy the sun.

"So," Stefan said, rolling his head back to face the sun's rays. "You don't care if I try to find Rebekah?"

"Not in the least," Caroline answered, digging her toes into the sand. "Why should I?"

"She's an Original. You don't have the best track record with the Originals."

Caroline paused for a moment. She hadn't considered the thought that Stefan would want her to stay with him once he found Rebekah. She had assumed that once the couple was reunited, she would take off again. Maybe to Europe, or a redemption trip to Barcelona.

"I probably won't stay with you. She and I... We don't exactly get along." Caroline said slowly.

"Oh." Stefan answered. It was a few moments before he continued. "You could try going back to Klaus, you know. He would take good care of you."

"Why on _earth_ would I do that?"

"I don't know." Stefan said, annoyed. "Because he legitimately cared about you? Because he's clearly the better choice over my brother? Because he's the most powerful supernatural being in the world? There are a ton of reasons, Care. You just don't want to hear any of them."

Caroline felt like tearing her hair out. Why couldn't Stefan see that those were exactly the reasons why she didn't want to be with Klaus? He was selfish, impatient. He would never put her first. He caused death and destruction where ever he went.

"I don't want to be with Klaus. So long as my emotions are off, he'll be trying to get me to turn them back on. I'm perfectly fine the way I am. I don't need him. Or _anybody_ , for that matter."

"I know Care, but-"

"Just drop it, Stefan! He never actually cared about me. He just liked the chase, and once he caught me, I'd be a good fuck. I'm not going back to Klaus _or_ Damon. That part of my life is over, okay?"

"Fine! I was just saying."

Both lapsed into silence, and Caroline began to feel sleepy. The warm sun felt life perfection, and her eyelids had just began to flutter closed when she heard it.

"Ah, there you are Stefan. I'd heard you were in Los Angeles. But I didn't know you were with such... unsavory company."

And all of a sudden, Caroline felt like tearing her hair out all over again.

Looking up into the sun, she saw the Original bitch herself.

Rebekah was back.


	9. Chapter 9

Damon couldn't help but feel like this entire situation was one big, cosmic joke. If you had asked him one year ago how he felt about Caroline Forbes, he probably would have shrugged and gone back to staring at the picture of Elena he kept in his wallet.

A picture that was now replaced with one of him and Caroline in Italy.

It would have been so easy to pretend Caroline meant nothing to him. He had done it with Elena for almost two years, he could handle pretending the neurotic, blonde vampire hadn't wormed her way into his heart. But just when he came to the conclusion that everything would be easier if he kept up the pretense, a hole the size of Texas started aching in his chest.

Damon's fists curled, his teeth bared in frustration. Why couldn't he forget her? They had been together for less than a month, any attachment he felt was sure to be superficial.

Right?

Staring out the window of the private jet Klaus insisted on taking to California, Damon knew in his heart of hearts that Caroline would be better off with him. He had never done anything for anyone without some sort of personal gain, where as Caroline made a hobby of being a martyr.

They just didn't fit together.

But if Damon left... That would mean Klaus won. Klaus, with his egotistical, self-serving psychotic tendencies. The thought of subjecting Caroline to a man such as the Original Hybrid literally made him shudder.

"You alright, mate?" Klaus' voice broke Damon's inner monologue. "You've been glaring out the window for at least twenty minutes now."

It took everything for Damon not to roll his eyes. It was amazing how much he was willing to risk for this one girl. Being alone with Klaus for such an extended period of time was not exactly how he had planned on spending _any_ of his eternity.

"Fine." he grunted back, tearing his eyes away from the window.

Damon knew Klaus didn't believe him from the smirking, unapologetic glance the Hybrid threw his way. But why should Klaus care if he was on the brink of self-loathing? As far as he was concerned, if Damon was too busy hating himself to love Caroline, that meant it was a clear path to the blonde's heart.

This realization, the fact that if Damon gave up it meant Klaus won, made the younger vampire stiffen in his seat. Instead of glaring out the window, he shifted his attention to the Hybrid sitting diagonally across from him. He was consumed in a map of Los Angeles, trying to decode Caroline and Stefan's patterns and figure out where they could possibly be.

It was amazing how consumed they both were by this girl. Neither ever expected to fall in love, not again. Not after what they had both been through.

To be in love was to be stupid. Both Klaus and Damon had preached this on multiple occasions, both believed it whole heartedly. Love made you weak, and weakness to a vampire was almost as destructive as vervain or fire.

But both had been captivated by this one girl, a girl who wouldn't put up with their misogynistic, 14th century views.

And perhaps this was the one area where the two manically different vampires were destined to be equal.

***

Caroline wasn't sure what was worse- watching an emotionless vampire flirt with an equally terrifying Original, or the constant ass grabbing and leering she had to deal with if she left them.

After finding Rebekah at the beach, Stefan had insisted on celebrating. Caroline only rolled her eyes, content to let the two reunited love birds go off without her. But Stefan wouldn't have any of that.

_"Stefan, you're being ridiculous." Caroline yelled through the closed bathroom door of their hotel room. He was showering, no doubt primping for his date with the Original._

_"No I'm not. You need to be there, Care. I can't do this alone." Stefan yelled back. Caroline just rolled her eyes and pulled a short, sequined dress from a shopping bag on the floor. If she was being forced to go club hopping with two of the moodiest people she knew, she would definitely be needing a drink. Of the human variety._

_"When did you turn into such a sissy? Suck it up." She heard the door creak open and quickly pulled up her dress. Even if they were close, Caroline still didn't want Stefan seeing anymore of her than he already had._

_Stefan just smirked and rolled his eyes. Riffling through his suitcase, he suddenly stopped and looked at Caroline._

_"I know you're not exactly Rebekah's biggest fan... But this is what I came to California to do."_

_Caroline stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "I know. But I'm not going to be sticking around for much longer. If she's here, then I'm not."_

_"You're not even gonna try to tolerate her?"_

_"Nope. Because I don't have too." Caroline said, going back to applying mascara. "That's the beauty of having your emotions turned off. No attachment."_

_Stefan didn't reply, just buttoned up his shirt. He appeared deep in thought, and the two sat in silence for a few minutes._

_"Where are you going?" Stefan asked, nudging Caroline to the side for more room in the mirror._

_"I haven't decided yet," she answered, elbowing him in the ribs. "Maybe Barcelona. Continue the Caroline Killing Streak. Are you ready yet?"_

_"Not quite. I told Rebekah 10:30."_

_"Come on, your hair is gelled enough."_

_Stefan grumbled, taking one more look in the mirror. After taking a deep breath, he followed Caroline out of the hotel room._

That had been two hours ago. The second they stepped in the club, Caroline made a bee line for the bar. It was one thing to deal with Stefan and Rebekah, but dealing with Stefan and Rebekah with no alcohol in her system? Impossible.

The alcohol had been a good distraction for about twenty minutes before she realized that she was a vampire, and no matter how many shots of vodka she consumed, there was no way she was getting drunk tonight. At that point, Caroline had glumly made her way back to the table Stefan was flagging her down from, with no alcohol warming her belly.

"Caroline!" Stefan hissed at her through his teeth, his arm draped around Rebekah's shoulder. "Stop drinking so much. Any human would be passed out by now. We need to lay low for the time being."

Caroline just scowled, throwing herself into a chair, crossing her arms over her chest like an insolent child.

"What's wrong, Caroline?" Rebekah asked, a sickly sweet smile on her face. "Don't like sharing?"

"No, I've never been particularly good at it. Had I known Stefan intended on seeking you out, I wouldn't have come with him." Caroline said bluntly, looking the Original straight in the eye.

Rebekah just narrowed her eyes. Stefan looked on with mild interest, unwilling to break up the inevitable cat fight that was brewing. She turned to Stefan, realization glinting in her eyes.

"Are her emotions off?"

"Well... yeah." Stefan answered unwillingly.

"Oh, this is excellent!" The blonde said, turning back to a glaring Caroline. "I have to say, you never seemed like the type. My brother will just _love_ this. What happened? Rejection? Did you breake a nail?"

For the first time since she repressed her emotions, Caroline felt a pang jolt through her heart. She wasn't stupid enough to believe it was the remnants of any true, real feeling. It was just the semblance of annoyance, pure dislike radiating through her body. If she had to deal with Rebekah for any longer, there would be a body count.

"Actually, my mom died." Snatching up her purse and getting up from her seat, she spoke to Stefan. "Sorry Stef, I put up with her for as long as I could. I'm out of here."

Caroline strode away, leaving the two vampires alone. Rebekah just rolled her eyes, snuggling into Stefan.

"Now that she's gone..." The Original said coyly, tracing her fingers up his chest. "Maybe we could spend a few hours getting reacquainted ?"

***

Klaus was about ready to paint the town red. He and Damon had been in Los Angeles for almost four hours, and they were no closer to finding Caroline than they had been in New Orleans. Pacing around his hotel room, he had a sick sense of déjà vu.

It was starting to feel as though they would never find Caroline. She had eluded them for nearly a week, slipping through their fingers like water.

Damon looked on from the mini bar despairingly. Nursing his bourbon, the heavy weight of desperation had returned. It was so easy to believe they had it all figured out. Get the girl, get the witch, undo the spell. Simple.

But nothing was going according to plan. They couldn't find Caroline no matter how hard they looked, who the compelled. It was beginning to see, useless.

The heady silence was broken by a shrill, sharp ringing. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, Klaus barely glanced at the called ID before answering.

"What."

"So," Damon heard from the reciever across the room. "Have I got news for you."

Klaus rolled his eyes, Damon groaned and put his head in his hands. The last thing either of them wanted to deal with was the Original Bitch herself.

"I don't have time for this Rebekah." Klaus growled.

"Oh, I think you're going to want to hear what I have to say."

Klaus paused, swayed. He was never very good at denying his baby sister. "You have two minutes."

"I happen to know a certain long lost love of yours is currently running on blood thirst and vengeance." She said triumphantly.

"Rebekah, unless you have anything useful to tell me, I'm going to hang up."

"Oh, shut up you pompous-"

" _Goodbye, Rebekah._ "

Klaus had just gone to hang up his phone when he heard an angry shriek from the other end.

"Wait! I have a proposition for you..."

Klaus' eyes glinted. He slowly put the phone back up to his ear, turning away from Damon.

"Baby sister, what can I do for you?"

"I hear you're after Caroline. Stefan told me the entire story. He forced her to turn off her emotions, they ran away to California together, blah blah blah. Now if I know you, you're out for blood. Probably already out in Low Angeles. Am I right?"

"All irrelevant, but yes. Correct so far. Get to the point."

"Just taking a wild guess here, but you've probably got something pretty nasty planned for Stefan when you find them."

Klaus' silence was the only response she needed. The second they found Caroline, he had been planning on ripping out his old friends heart. Harsh, yes. But it was necessary to get Caroline back.

"I thought so. Look, I don't want to be involved, but I'd like to keep Stefan around for a while. We just got back together, and-"

"Get to the point, Rebekah!" Klaus roared, almost crushing his phone.

"I'll tell you where Caroline is if you promise not to kill Stefan."

There was a stunned pause. Both men went completely still, and there was only the sound of unnecessary breathing on the other end of the phone.

"Hello? Klaus?"

"Okay. But this is the last favor I do for him, Rebekah. The next time I see that traitor... You're going to wish I _just_ ripped his heart out."

"Fair enough. Caroline is at the Four Seasons. But hurry, she's leaving in the morning. She can't stand the thought of me." There was a strange sort of pride in Rebekah's voice that told Klaus the two hadn't been getting along.

Klaus hung up the phone without saying goodbye. There was no time to waste, and looking at Damon, he knew their search was finally coming to an end. Both men ran out the door, finally going to claim what was theirs.

***

"Caroline," Stefan said angrily, slamming their hotel room door. "We need to talk."

He was met with a stony silence and a scathing glare, both from the blonde currently packing a very large suitcase.

"I have nothing to say to you." Caroline finally said, breaking the silence.

"Well good, I have enough to say for the both of us. Caroline, you can't just take off like that! What if you died? What if someone staked you? Or took you? Damon and Klaus could be anywhere!"

Caroline stared at one of her oldest friends, dumbfounded. "Why do you even care? Wait..." she said, realizing something. " _How_ can you even care?"

This time, it was Stefan's turn to fall silent. Caroline narrowed her eyes, placing her hands on her hips.

"She compelled you to turn them back on, didn't she?"

"That's not important! Care, the point is I care for you. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Why is it so hard to believe?! Great question Stef. How about because when Elena died, no one _cared_ enough to let me know. When Klaus deamed the world to unsafe for an immortal vampire, no one _cared_ to hear my opinion. And when you took advantage of my grief and forced me to turn off my emotions, I don't think you _gave a damn_ about me or my life."

"Caroline..." Stefan said after a few moments, stretching his arms out to hug her. "Stop this. Save yourself the grief, just turn them back on. I can explain everything... I just need the old you back."

"Too late, psycho Ripper. I'm leaving." Caroline strode past Stefan, who stood shell shocked by the dark bathroom. He heard the door open, but not shut. Good, she might still be there.

"Caroline, wait-"

He ran down the hallway, but froze when he turned the corner.

"Hello, brother. Long time no see." Damon was lounging on the wall opposite, a ghost of a smirk on his face.

The last thing Stefan could see was Caroline framed in the golden light of the hall, with Klaus cast in the shadows. They were locked in a battle of wills, each refusing to be the first to look away.

Stefan was just about to cry out when there was a sharp pain in his neck, his head jerking sickeningly to the right. Then, everything went black.


	10. Chapter 10

Klaus stared hungrily at Caroline, fighting his first instinct to gather her in his arms and sweep her away. Blindly aware of the thump of Stefan's body on the floor, he couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the blonde beauty standing in front of him.

With only one glance, he knew that Caroline hadn't turned her emotions back on. She was glaring silently at him, with a void of vague disinterest clouding her eyes. Their eyes were locked, him gazing with nothing but sickening love and relief. When Stefan's body dropped two feet behind her, Caroline's gaze slid languidly from Klaus to the carpet of their hotel room.

"You really had to snap his neck?" She said disinterestedly to Damon. He merely shrugged, gazing at her with passion to rival Klaus.

There was silence for a few moments, both men just drinking in the sight of the blonde. Even though it had only been a little over a week since they had seen her, it felt like an eternity. The three stood stock still, Caroline refusing to even glance at the two men. Then, they all moved at once.

Caroline made a bee line for the door, attempting to at least try to outrun her inevitable capture. Klaus lunged for her, toppling them both over and pinning the girl beneath his body weight. Damon swiftly ran to the door, kicking it closed to muffle Caroline's screams of protest.

Klaus quickly covered Caroline's mouth with his hand, quietly trying to shush her without hurting her anymore than he already had. Shifting his weight off of her upper body, the hybrid straddled her waist.

Caroline saw this as an opportunity, quickly bucking him off of her and speeding up. She immediately ran to the adjacent balcony of the hotel room, deciding that throwing herself off of it would be a better choice than staying with Damon and Klaus. She didn't get as far as the sliding glass door before it was blocked off by a pained looking Damon.

Quickly realizing her mistake, Caroline turned around. Again, she was deterred by Klaus. With both potential exits blocked, there was no escape.

Glaring boldly at both vampires, she decided to make one more desperate plea.

"You don't have to do this." she begged, looking imploringly at Klaus. "I don't want them anymore. I'm so happy. Isn't that all you want? For me to be happy?"

Klaus' eyes softened at the blue eyed beauty. In reality, _yes._ That was literally all he had ever wanted. For her to be happy. Happy and safe from any harm.

But he had fucked up that possibility the second he stepped into Mystic Falls almost seven years ago.

With his gaze still trained on Caroline, Klaus heard Damon sigh. "Blondie," the raven haired vampire said tiredly. "You don't even know what happy _is_ anymore."

She had barely had time to turn her head to face him before Damon snapped her neck.

***

Setting Caroline's body gently on a seat next to him on the plane, Klaus once again glared daggers at his companion.

"That was completely unprecedented. The plan was to get her too come with us willingly. We can't just keep taking her free will from her! That's what caused this entire mess in the first place!"

Damon just glared back at him, alternating between looking at the blonde with worry and pacing back and forth in the airplane aisle.

"Oh, don't go all morality police on me!" Damon finally burst out, meeting Klaus' accusatory glare. "It was the only way she would ever come with us. You don't actually believe that if we gave her a choice, she would willingly change back, do you? Because she wouldn't."

Klaus just huffed, throwing himself down on the seat beside Caroline. Smoothing her long blonde hair out of her face, he realized there was a feeling of relief mingled in with the rest of his emotional turmoil.

He was so thankful to have her back with him. If he could have it his way, Caroline would never leave his side again. He realized now what a mistake it was allowing her to leave him that day back in Mystic Falls. If Klaus had known the kind of trouble and pain it would have caused both of them, he never would have allowed her to get on that plane.

Even though Klaus had told Damon that Caroline was free to make her own decision regarding the two of them, he was beginning to regret his promise. He was never very good at keeping his word, and he was even worse at watching another person take what was his.

Not that Caroline was his to claim. She had made it abundantly clear over the years that she was _no one's,_ that she would rather die before being bound by another.

But Klaus just couldn't stay away. Even if she hated him, even if she cursed his existence every time they were in the same room, at least he would know she was safe.

It had been almost two hours since Damon broke her neck. Damon, as if sensing she would wake up soon, had taken off to the bar. Klaus was left with Caroline, an opportunity he didn't take lightly.

When she began to stir, Klaus had a shot glass filled with blood ready before her eyelashes even fluttered open. However, he was positive this gesture wouldn't be enough to get back in the blondes good graces. It was his fault she had her neck snapped, his fault she turned off her emotions in the first place.

Klaus was so caught up in these feelings of guilt, he didn't even notice Caroline was fully awake and glaring at him. What he did notice was her snatching the shot glass from his hand, downing it like an alcoholic, and the long measured glare she gave him before slapping his cheek.

His face still stinging, Klaus suppressed the urge to tear her throat out. No one had ever gotten away with touching him before, not to mention hitting him. But this was Caroline. Klaus wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

Rubbing his cheek, he slowly pulled his gaze up to Caroline's face. She was examining the shot glass with a confused look in her eyes.

"Why a shot glass?" she asked, finally locking eyes with him. Klaus practically had to pull himself out of her spell before finally answering.

"It was the only glass Damon left behind. And drinking straight from a blood bag seems a little barbaric, even for my taste."

Caroline laughed at this, but it was nothing like her normal laugh. She would usually let out a sweet, melodic giggle. This was sinister. A low, malevolent chuckle that didn't fit her persona at all. Klaus didn't like it, and he once again ached for the girl she used to be.

"I'm assuming Damon has run away with his tail between his legs. He never was very good with guilt. I'm sure snapping my neck has him reeling."

Klaus smirked. "Yes, he's been particularly broody. Much like his brother."

"How is Stefan, by the way? I'm sure one of you ripped his heart out. After all, he _did_ steal your one true love from right under your nose. And you're not exactly one for forgiveness."

Klaus had to look away from Caroline's accusatory gaze. He knew she would be difficult and insistent that she didn't need to be fixed. But he knew better than her. This life wasn't one she wanted to live. She was sweet, and gentle. Nothing about the blood thirsty, vengeful person she had become reminded Klaus of the real Caroline.

"Oh," she continued. "And incidentally, why haven't you just compelled me?"

"Rebekah sold you out. I agreed to spare Stefan's life if she gave me your location. I can't compel you. A few years back, I had an anti-compulsion spell placed on you. No one can rob you of your free will, not even me."

Caroline just shook her head, sighing and rubbing her eyes. For the first time since he had met her, Klaus saw that she looked tired. Caroline was famous for dealing with situations efficiently, able to get to the source of the problem and fixing it before most even knew something was wrong.

"No good ever comes from an Original." Caroline said, getting up from her seat and pouring herself a generous helping of bourbon from the bottle on Damon's empty seat. Klaus couldn't tell if she was talking about him or Rebekah. She downed her shot, barely grimacing. Klaus followed her movements warily, waiting for her attempt at escape.

Looking out the window of the plane, she finally continued. "Why can't you just let me go?"

If Klaus hadn't known better, he would say there was a tone of desperation in her voice. This question tore at him more than anything. Why couldn't he?

He had tried. Many times over the past few years. But anytime he had gotten close to being able to forget her, she was there. In the blonde bartender, in a blue eyed stranger passing on the street. Caroline was always there, in the back of his mind just waiting for the most inconvenient time to reappear.

"I can't," he whispered almost

imperceptibly. "Every time I try... I just can't."

All of a sudden, Klaus felt angry. More angry than he had felt in a long time, pure rage rushing through his veins. Who was this girl to question him or what he thought was best? He was the Original Hybrid, damn it! She would obey him!

"That's bullshit, and we both know it." Caroline growled, not sensing or not caring about his anger. "You _won't_ let me go. I was the most stable thing in your life, and you gave it all up for some werewolf slut. I didn't want you, and you made it some egotistical goal to make me love you. Well guess what? I didn't then, and I definitely don't now."

Klaus saw red. His hands were in his hair, practically ripping it out. Good. Pain was what he needed right now, and he couldn't inflict any on Caroline, no matter what his natural instincts were.

"I'm done with your shit, Klaus. I'm not some defenseless little girl anymore, running away from her problems. Believe it or not, I've grown over the past seven years. I'm capable of taking care of myself. I don't need you or Damon to do it for me!"

" _Yes you do!_ " Klaus roared, throwing the bottle of bourbon at the wall. It shattered, soaking everything around them. But neither vampire even noticed. "You need me to care! Because you _don't._ If you were left to your own devices, you would be dead right now! You think all those saves when you got into trouble were lucky? No! They were _me._ Because I couldn't stand to see you hurt! If you think for one second that I don't care, or haven't cared about you then you're _dead wrong._ Because I do care, Caroline. Sometimes I think I might care about you even more than you care about yourself."

There was a silence only punctured by both of their heavy breathing. It took Klaus about six seconds before he realized he had Caroline backed up against the wall of the airplane, barely a breath away.

 _Screw it_ , he decided. Then he kissed her.

It was the kind of kiss that both vampires knew they could never forget. It ignited a fiery passion between them that couldn't be extinguished, a deep fire in their bellies. Klaus cupped her cheek, Caroline wound her fingers through her hair.

Letting out a low moan, Caroline nipped at Klaus' bottom lip. Gathering all of his willpower, Klaus pulled back. Resting his forehead on hers, he took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he felt Caroline blow out a shaky breath.

"Attention all passengers," the intercom sprang to life with the cheery voice of a compelled flight attendant. "We will landing in New Orleans shortly. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts for landing."

Klaus slowly drew away from Caroline, not sitting down quite yet.

"After we lift the spell," he said, staring straight into her eyes. "You can leave. You don't need to choose me or Damon. You're free to go, no strings attached. I'll let you go."

The truth was, all Klaus really wanted was for Caroline to be happy. He would never be able to live with himself if she resented him for the rest of eternity, so he would do whatever was needed to avoid that.

Even if it meant letting her go.

The only affirmation he needed to know he made the right decision came when Caroline sat beside him five minutes later, fastening her seatbelt. She had made no sign that she had even heard his statement, but looking into her eyes, Klaus knew she had.

"Thank you." Caroline whispered, a true smile lighting her face for the first time in months. She took his hand, squeezing it as the airplane descended through the sky. Klaus swore he felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces, blowing away in the dark sky.

But for her, it was all worth it.

***

Klaus opened the door of a small house in the middle of the woods. Why Claudia would choose this place of anywhere, he had no idea. But he had no time to think about this, as he had to pull an unwilling Caroline in after him. Damon followed, slamming the door shut to announce their arrival.

"You do know that the second I leave, I'm just going to turn them off again, right?" Caroline snarled, trying to shake Klaus' iron like grip off of her arm.

"Well, it's a good thing you're not leaving our sight after this, huh Blondie?" Damon said mildly, not looking at Caroline.

She just smirked, still trying to shake Klaus off.

Klaus hadn't told Damon of his new plan yet. It was more important to get the old Caroline back, then perhaps they could talk some sense into her. But if she still wanted to leave... Klaus would let her go.

"Ah," he heard a voice from the opposite side of the room. "I see you've returned. And this is the girl, I'm assuming?"

Claudia stepped into the light, looking even more tired than when they had left. She had bags under her eyes as if she hadn't slept for hours on end, and her usually luscious hair looked dank and flat.

"Introduction aren't important, Claudia." Klaus snarled, thrusting Caroline towards her. "Just tell me you can fix this."

"I told you I would."

There was silence as Claudia assessed Caroline. Taking hold of her chin, she forced the blonde to look at her.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the witch said in a strangely soothing voice. "I'm just going to reverse this spell. Nothing bad will happen. Do you trust me?"

Instead of answering, Caroline's wide gaze slid over to Klaus. "You promise?" she whispered.

Klaus knew what she was referring to. His promise on the plane, the promise that would almost literally kill him. He hesitated, before nodding curtly. Caroline seemed to take this as affirmation, and locked eyes with Claudia once more.

"Yes." Caroline said quietly.

"Good. Now go stand by the hearth, honey. I have a few things to set up."

"Klaus," Damon growled as Claudia went to her spice cabinet. He walked closer to Klaus, his face a cloud of confusion and frustration. "What the hell was that? What did you promise?"

"You," Claudia said, pointing to Damon. He turned unwillingly towards her, breaking eye contact with Klaus. "Go outside and keep watch. The last thing we need is the local police swarming the place."

Damon unwillingly went outside, but not before giving Klaus a long distrustful glare. Klaus just stared straight ahead. He didn't care about Damon at the moment. Neither one of them deserved Caroline, and they both knew that.

"Now," Claudia said, grounding some spices together and sprinkling them over where Caroline stood near the hearth. "We can begin. Klaus, I'll just need a bit of your blood."

Klaus bit into his wrist, offering it to Claudia. She dipped her finger in the open wound, then smeared some on Caroline's wrist at the same spot he had bitten on his own. Klaus retreated as far away as possible, not wanting to watch the spell happen. Claudia followed him, standing at her table about four feet away from Caroline.

She began chanting, her eyes rolling in the back of her head. Just as last time, there was a palpable energy in the air. But Klaus didn't care. His gaze was trained solely on Caroline's, her blue eyes sliding up to meet his grey ones.

They were the last thing he saw before the fire in the hearth erupted, causing a mind numbing explosion.

***

When the dust cleared, everything was absolutely silent. The small, god-forsaken shack Claudia had chosen for her spell had been blown to bits. Klaus wasn't surprised. Based on the enormity of the spell, he was surprised the surrounding forest was still intact.

Surveying the remaining property, Klaus could not pick out a heartbeat. Slowly walking over to where Claudia had been chanting moments previous, he knew without a shade of doubt that she was dead. Looking down at her slumped figure, he felt a slight pang of pity. Once rich, chestnut hair had been streaked with grey, her vibrant electric green eyes turning into a dull, lifeless stare.

Moments after he realized all of this, Klaus registered movement from near where the hearth would have been. _Caroline._

Flashing over to the blonde, he immediately bent down and surveyed the damage afflicted on her. Gently circling his fingers around her wrist, he pulled her up into a sitting position. Caroline was not hurt badly enough to warrant a taste of his blood, but he was tempted to not take the risk.

Slowly blinking open her blue eyes, Klaus was almost able to fully relax for the first time since this whole fiasco started. If all had gone according to plan, Caroline would have the ability to be compelled and emotional once more. Just the thought of having _his_ Caroline back again was enough to take the pressing weight off of the Hybrid's neck. A feeling he would almost describe as hope began to pound in his chest, waiting to be set free.

However, this newfound emotion came crashing down upon him the second the two made eye contact.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, snatching her wrist back from his grasp. Caroline glanced around the smoldering house in a panic, fear slowly invading the corners of her eyes. Klaus didn't have to hear her next words to know that something had gone terribly, awfully wrong.

"What's going on? Where am I? Who-" she seemed to pause for a moment, nostrils flaring as if searching the very crevices of her brain for any hint of information. "Who am I?"

**Author's Note:**

> AN: So I've decided to bring this fic over to AO3! I should be posting two other unfinished Klaroline stories within the next few days, but not my smaller one shots. I am thedeadsea on ff.net, check out the Klaroline one shots if you're interested!


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